Ukraine peace talks: What happened at the White House?

President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders held talks with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine.

President Trump hosted President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, with the Ukrainian leader describing it as their "best" meeting so far and calling the talks "constructive."

The two previously met in February for discussions on the conflict, but that meeting ended abruptly after a a big argument.

No official deal has been reached, but Trump said the US would support Ukraine's security and announced plans to arrange a face-to-face meeting between President Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What was discussed at the meeting?

Topics discussed included:

• Security promises to keep Ukraine safe from future attacks

• A possible ceasefire (temporary pause in fighting) or peace deal

• Whether President Zelensky might meet Russian President Vladimir Putin face to face

• Exchange of territory - swapping land to help end the fighting

Security promises for Ukraine

President Trump told President Zelensky that the US would help guarantee Ukraine's security in any deal to end the war, but didn't explain exactly what that help would involve.

The BBC's Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner says any future permanent peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will need a security guarantee "aimed at deterring Russia from attacking Ukraine again".

He says until now the US has been "reluctant to make any commitment in this direction leaving it up to Britain and France" but after the latest talks, this could now be different.

President Zelensky said: "We need a strong Ukrainian army." He added, "It's about weapons, people, training missions and intelligence."

President Trump said that Europe would be the "first line of defence" for Ukraine, and promised that "We'll give them good protection."

Peace deal or ceasefire?

There was some disagreement between some European leaders and Donald Trump over a ceasefire or outright peace agreement

During the talks, President Trump and President Zelensky were joined by European leaders including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

German Chancellor Merz and French President Macron both said the next step in the peace process should be a temporary pause in the fighting, known as a ceasefire.

Chancellor Merz said: "I can't imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire."

But Donald Trump wants to skip a ceasefire and favours going straight to a full peace deal.

"I don't know that it's necessary," Trump said of a ceasefire.

Ukraine's President Zelensky has previously said a ceasefire needs to happen before any talks with Russia could take place, but he didn't repeat the demand this time.

Will Putin and Zelensky have a meeting?

Zelensky said he was ready to meet directly with the Russian president Vladimir Putin (pictured)

Donald Trump called Russian President Putin after meeting Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in the White House on Monday.

Mr Trump wrote that he "began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader, spoke about a possible meeting with Vladimir Putin, telling reporters he was ready to meet directly with the Russian president, and if Moscow agreed, Trump could join the negotiations too.

Vladimir Putin is yet to publicly respond to the request and has previously resisted any direct meeting with Zelensky.

If the meeting went ahead it would be the first time that Putin and Zelensky had met since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

What could a peace deal look like?

Much of the discussion about a possible peace deal in Ukraine is around the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, commonly known as the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine.

Russia wants control of the region in any agreement to stop fighting - including parts still currently under Ukrainian control.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that he will not trade land for peace and that Ukraine's constitution requires a vote by the people before giving away any territory.

European leaders say that any land swaps should be based on the "current line of conflict" - the positions held by each side on the battlefield - rather than giving Russia territory it has not captured.