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On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine, as the conflict with Russia enters its fourth year.

“I had a good conversation today with President [Trump] regarding security guarantees for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference at the White House. “Security is at the very core of the survival and future independence of Ukraine. The first one is security guarantees. And we are very happy with President [Trump], that all the leaders are here, and security in Ukraine depends on the United States and European countries.”

Zelenskyy’s comments at the White House, which were delivered alongside Trump and European leaders, emphasized the security guarantees as the most vital element of support for Ukraine. “The fact that Washington is prepared to send strong signals of support is very important,” Zelenskyy said. He, however, did not elaborate on the possible contents of such guarantees.

Trump also emphasized the need for security in Ukraine, but said that Europeans should be the main contributors. The conflict, he added, would not be resolved without difficult conversations on issues like territory. “We’re going to help them, and we’re going to make it very secure,” Trump said. “We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact. That means the war zone, the war line center.”

Meeting on the sidelines of the summit, Western leaders exposed divisions on the balance between supporting Ukraine and pursuing a negotiated settlement with Russia. Trump appeared to open the door for territorial concessions that would see Ukraine accept a loss of some areas, despite Zelenskyy’s repeated statements that the country would never concede any of its land.

Sanctions, Ceasefire, and NATO

As Western leaders in Washington talked about guarantees, U.S. lawmakers called for more economic pressure on Russia and its partners. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for example, called on the Trump administration to go after Moscow’s finances by sanctioning countries that still purchase Russian oil. Graham is also a co-sponsor of legislation that would allow the president to impose tariffs of up to 500 percent on countries that do business with Russia.

“My advice to President Trump and [Secretary of State Marco Rubio] is, you’ve got to convince Putin that if this war doesn’t end justly and honorably with Ukraine making concessions also, we’re going to destroy the Russian economy,” Graham said on Fox News. “The second most important person on the planet to end this war is President Xi in China.”

Trump has already indicated he would be willing to take this step, having said in August he would impose a 50 percent tariff on India, in part for its purchases of Russian oil. “If he wants to cut a deal with China, he should cut a deal with China,” Graham said. “But to make that deal work, you’ve got to be able to go to China and tell them we’re going to economically destroy you if you don’t do the right thing.” The threat of a similar action against China, Graham suggested, could swiftly alter the course of the war.

On the European side, the European Union is preparing the 19th round of sanctions on Russia. Expected later this month, the latest measures will work to further cut off Russia’s energy revenue, banking access, and military-industrial complex. They will also seek to address loopholes and curb sanctions evasion. After nearly four years of coordinated Western action, Russia is now the most sanctioned country in modern history, more economically isolated than Iran, North Korea, or Venezuela.

Sanctions, however, are not the only point of contention. European leaders have also pushed back on Trump’s calls for a ceasefire before negotiations can begin. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz argued that a pause in fighting was a precondition for giving peace talks a chance. “I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire,” Merz said. Trump, on the other hand, noted that a number of the six peace agreements he says he brokered in recent months came without a ceasefire. “You have a ceasefire, and they rebuild and rebuild and rebuild,” Trump said. The only advantage to a ceasefire, he conceded, would be an immediate end to civilian deaths.

A more recent addition to the White House talks is Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who took office in March 2024. He has been openly critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sincerity when it comes to a ceasefire and emphasized Finland’s long experience of shared borders with Russia. The two countries, he noted, have an 800-mile border. “If I look at the silver lining of where we stand right now, we found a solution in 1944, and I’m sure that we’ll be able to find a solution in 2025 to end Russia’s war of aggression,” Stubb said, referring to the defeat of Finland in World War II. Stubb, a close ally of Trump’s in Europe, added that Finland has consistently argued in favor of maintaining and strengthening NATO and “directing military assistance to Ukraine.”

In addition to sanctions and a ceasefire, Trump has been blunt in outlining what Ukraine must do for a peace deal. In a post on Truth Social over the weekend, he suggested that Kyiv should formally cede Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and abandon any ambition of joining NATO. “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump said. He placed blame for Crimea on the Obama administration, which “gave” the peninsula to Russia without a fight more than a decade ago. Trump further insisted “NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE” must be a red line.