Live updates: Trump pushing for meeting between Putin and Zelensky

CNN

11 hours ago

Update:
Date:
Title: Leaders discussed security guarantees but not redrawing territory in Ukraine meeting. Here's the latest
Content:
US President Donald Trump, his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, and seven European leaders sounded optimistic after their meeting on Monday at the White House, in which they worked toward ending Russia's war in Ukraine.
European officials said the hastily arranged talks reflected the urgency many leaders feel in aligning with Trump on ending the war — but also their concern that they not be sidelined.
Here's what you need to know:
Update:
Date:
Title: Analysis: As Trump pushes for peace in Ukraine, Beijing is watching closely
Content:
As US President Donald Trump pushes to end the conflict in Ukraine, meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders in quick succession in recent days, another global power is watching closely.
China has long claimed neutrality in the war, but it's spent the conflict tightening its ties and ramping up trade with Russia – a key ally in Chinese leader Xi Jinping's bid to reshape the global balance of power. And even as Beijing has sought to position itself as a potential peacemaker in the conflict, Chinese leaders have several reasons to be content to sit back and watch Trump's diplomacy of recent days.
For one, Beijing's backing of Moscow has made clear it doesn't want to see a crippling defeat of Putin's Russia – and Chinese officials have also long sought to drive a wedge between the US and Europe, as they, like Putin, deeply mistrust NATO.
Chinese media and commentators in recent days have played up a view that Trump's diplomacy with Putin is straining US-European ties. Some Chinese observers suggested the bonhomie between Trump and Putin on show during their summit in Alaska on Friday could herald a world in which the US's traditional alliances weaken and relationships between China, Russia and the US come to the fore.
China will also be watching how the coming weeks play out for Russia with an eye to its own designs on Taiwan – a self-ruling democracy China's ruling Communist Party has vowed to take control of, by force if necessary.
And Beijing will be paying careful attention to the formation of any security guarantees for Ukraine – and whether those would bolster European military partnerships on the continent and with the US.
When asked Monday whether Beijing would play a role guaranteeing Ukrainian security, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said the country 'will continue to use our own methods to promote peace talks and advance a political resolution to the crisis.'
Update:
Date:
Title: European leaders tout "real progress" at White House, but immediate ceasefire still a top priority
Content:
Despite diplomatic efforts, a clear divide remains between European leaders and Russia over the urgency of establishing a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Monday's flurry of diplomatic talks resulted in a willingness from the US to work on security guarantees for Ukraine and the potential of a bilateral meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Here's how world leaders responded:
Update:
Date:
Title: Experts break down Trump's push for further meetings
Content:
US President Donald Trump said he was arranging a meeting between his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts after a summit with European leaders.
Julia Ioffe, founding partner and Washington correspondent at Puck, and Sabrina Singh, CNN political commentator and former deputy Pentagon press secretary, join CNN's Pamela Brown to break down the latest developments.
Update:
Date:
Title: Analysis: When Western leaders discuss 'security guarantees' for Ukraine, there's reason for skepticism
Content:
In the eight years prior to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe maintained a 'special monitoring mission' in Ukraine.
Described as an 'unarmed, civilian mission,' its main tasks were to 'observe and report in an impartial and objective manner on the security situation in Ukraine; and to facilitate dialogue among all parties to the conflict.'
Both the Russian and Ukrainian governments agreed to the deployment. The observers chiefly operated in southeastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists fought against the Ukrainian armed forces for eight long years.
Operating in white, armored SUVs, the observers filed monthly reports on ceasefire violations and often publicly complained about being threatened, harassed and periodically detained by both Ukrainian and pro-Russian fighters.
Perhaps the most famous moment for the Special Monitoring Mission came in 2014, when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over the Donetsk region, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 777. A United Nations body found Russia responsible for the disaster.
The observers played a crucial role, negotiating safe passage through separatist-controlled territory for Dutch forensic experts to investigate the impact area. At the time, mission spokesman Michael Bociurkiw called it 'the biggest open crime scene in the world.'
Ultimately, though, the mission's goal to 'reduce tensions and promote normalization of the situation' was a failure.
On February 24, 2022, Russia mounted a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the ensuing month, the OSCE resorted to issuing appeals, calling for the release of observers detained by Russia.
The observer mission closed the next month. Experts estimate hundreds of thousands of people have been killed since.
Update:
Date:
Title: Trump changes his tone in latest meeting with Zelensky
Content:
After a contentious Oval Office meeting in February, US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky struck a much different tone in their latest meeting at the White House.