U.S. President Donald Trump signaled that he believes in Vladimir Putin’s willingness to strike a deal, quietly telling French President Emmanuel Macron: “I think he wants to make a deal for me. You understand? As crazy as it sounds.” His words were picked up by a microphone shortly before he hosted the meeting with European leaders at the White House, the Independent reported.

Trump and Putin met in Alaska for the first time since 2019 to begin talks on involving the Russian president in peace negotiations for Ukraine. Although no formal agreement was reached, Trump described the meeting as “positive” and reiterated that the two had “longstanding good relations.” He added: “I think President Putin also wants to find a solution. We’ll see.”

Although he initially insisted on an immediate ceasefire, after meeting with Putin Trump abandoned that condition. According to reports, the Kremlin proposed to the U.S. administration that the United States and its European allies provide security guarantees for Ukraine.

An unofficial option was also discussed, under which Kyiv could cede the remainder of Donbas to Russia — a plan Trump does not appear to rule out, despite sharp warnings from Ukraine and its allies that the country must not surrender territory to the aggressor.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the White House to discuss the conversation between Trump and Putin. Also attending the meeting were Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. | BGNES