Trump greets Zelensky at the White House

Trump touched the Ukrainian on the shoulder. Both smiled and looked into the cameras together. The US President briefly put his hand on Zelensky's shoulder again. Trump then gave way to the Ukrainian as he entered the White House.

Trump first wants to hold a meeting with the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office. According to the White House, in addition to this two-way meeting, it is planning another one a little later in a larger group with European leaders.

Prior to Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb had already arrived at the White House.

Following his meeting on Friday with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which brought him back onto the world stage after a long period of isolation in the West, Trump is now receiving Zelenskyi, who is accompanied by European heads of government and top politicians.

Trump considers the return of Crimea to Ukraine unrealistic

The US President is pursuing a plan to bring Putin and Zelensky directly to the table. Trump's meeting with the Ukrainian president could - if it goes well - be the decisive intermediate step in this direction. The aim is to bring an end to the Russian war of aggression, to stop the killing. Trump sees himself in the role of mediator.

Shortly before the meeting, Trump had put pressure on his colleague from Kiev. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump did not address Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin as the aggressor, but wrote: "Ukrainian President Zelensky can end the war with Russia almost immediately if he wants to, or he can keep fighting".

In the same breath, the Republican also declared Ukraine's hoped-for accession to Nato and the return of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, to be unrealistic. "Some things never change!!!", he wrote. He pointed out that the then US President Barack Obama had not prevented the annexation of Crimea in 2014. He added in capital letters: "NO NATO INVOLVEMENT OF UKRAINE." The Russian army flew new airstrikes on Ukraine during the night.

Reminder of a scandal

The fact that there is now another conversation between Trump and Selensky in the Oval Office brings back memories of an unprecedented scandal in February. The US President and his Vice President JD Vance had reprimanded Zelensky in front of the cameras - he then left Washington early.

After that, there was a rapprochement again. A photo of Trump and Selenskyj became known in which they were seen talking to each other in April at the Vatican on the sidelines of the Pope's funeral service.