President Donald Trump released a statement following a major White House summit held Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several key European leaders. The gathering focused on restarting peace efforts to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, now entering its fourth year.

Attendees included French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Trump described the meeting as productive and “a very good early step” toward peace.

Central to the discussions were security guarantees for Ukraine, to be coordinated between European nations and the United States. Trump stated that the atmosphere was positive and hopeful, with all parties recognizing the momentum for potential peace.

Trump also revealed he had spoken directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin arranging a future summit between Putin and Zelensky. Following that bilateral meeting, Trump said a trilateral meeting would take place, involving himself, Putin, and Zelensky.

European leaders responded positively. Zelensky expressed gratitude to Trump for “breaking the deadlock” with Putin, while Rutte praised the initiation of dialogue. Stubb remarked that more progress had been made in recent weeks than in the past three years, and Meloni said the day marked a significant turning point thanks to Trump’s initiative.

Others echoed similar sentiments. UK Prime Minister Starmer called the day “very important,” while German Chancellor Merz and EU Commission President von der Leyen pointed to recent momentum from Trump’s earlier meeting with Putin in Alaska. French President Macron emphasized that peace was the shared goal and that the proposed trilateral meeting was “the only way to fix it.”

The summit signals a renewed, coordinated push for diplomacy in the Russia-Ukraine war.