Zelensky: Oval Office talks 'very good,' security guarantees needed

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Monday was "very good" and "constructive," as European leaders met with the US leader to discuss security guarantees for Kiev.

"This is very important, that the United States gives such strong signals and is ready for security guarantees," said Zelensky during a meeting in the White House with European allies including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Britain's Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Miniter Giorgia Meloni.

Zelensky said he and Trump had discussed "very sensitive points" and stressed that "security in Ukraine depends on the United States" as well as Europe.

The Ukrainian leader also emphasized the importance of humanitarian issues such as the exchange of prisoners and the return of children abducted by Russia.

His comments came after Trump opened the meeting, saying that within "a week or two weeks, we're going to know whether or not we're going to solve this or is this horrible fighting going to continue."

"We'll do the best to get it ended," Trump said. "And I believe you have two willing parties, and usually that's good news, but two willing parties, I want to make a deal."

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said he believes a trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelensky and Putin is crucial to ending the war in Ukraine.

"The idea of a trilateral meeting is very important because this is the only way to fix it," said Macron during talks with Trump, Zelensky and European allies at the White House.

"By the way, I think as a follow-up, we need probably a quadrilateral meeting because when we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent," he added.