Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president has described his talks at the White House as a turning point in efforts to secure peace, while Russia signalled that Donald Trump could soon travel to Moscow for further dialogue.
In a statement released on X on Tuesday, Zelensky said Monday’s meeting with Trump and European leaders was a “significant step toward ending the war” and ensuring Ukraine’s security. He added that discussions were already advancing on the “concrete content of the security guarantees” for his country.
“Today, we continue coordination at the level of leaders. We will also continue working tomorrow.
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National security advisors are also in constant contact now. There will be security guarantees,” Zelensky said, thanking Ukraine’s partners for their support and adding that Kyiv “feels this strength.”
The White House talks come as Moscow moves to position itself for further engagement. Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister reiterated on Tuesday that Trump has been invited to visit Russia, noting that president Vladimir Putin extended the offer during their summit in Alaska last week. “Donald Trump, if I remember correctly, said that it was very interesting,” Lavrov told Russian state media.
At the Alaska summit, Putin had ended the press conference by speaking in English, turning to Trump and asking: “Next time in Moscow?”
Meanwhile, the human cost of the war remained starkly visible. Russia repatriated the bodies of 1,000 people to Ukraine on Tuesday under previously negotiated agreements. While Moscow said they were Ukrainian military personnel, Kyiv has not yet verified the claim.
Among them were the remains of five Ukrainian servicemen who had been listed as “seriously wounded and seriously ill” prisoners eligible for exchange under earlier deals brokered in Istanbul, Ukraine’s Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.
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“The Russian side continues to delay and fails to fulfil its obligations,” the headquarters stated, accusing Moscow of breaching agreements while vowing to keep pressing for the release of all seriously ill and wounded prisoners.
The soldiers identified were serving in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and during incursions into Russia’s Kursk region. The International Committee of the Red Cross was thanked for its role in facilitating the transfer.
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It remains unclear whether Ukraine simultaneously returned the bodies of Russian troops.
On the diplomatic front, Lavrov stopped short of confirming a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky – an idea that Trump has publicly encouraged. “Any contacts involving top officials must be prepared with the utmost care,” Lavrov said, stressing that Moscow does not reject “any forms of work – neither bilateral nor trilateral.”
Following Monday’s White House session, Trump spoke with Putin by phone to discuss the prospect of a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.
