.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine on Monday said he had a “good” conversation on the matter of security guarantees for Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump as the war between Russia and Ukraine approaches its fourth year.

Appearing at the White House with Trump and leaders from European nations, Zelenskyy said security guarantees are still central to the country’s survival and future independence. “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 said. “Very important that you all express your readiness to send very strong signals. I didn’t speak about these signals, it will be our decision when it’s going to be done.” He added that Washington’s willingness to signal such support was “very important,” but he did not provide more detail on what those security guarantees might look like.

Trump repeated the need for security, but he also said that most of the responsibility needs to fall on Europe, saying that there can be no solution without having some “tough conversations” about 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.”

The White House meeting marked deep divisions between Western leaders on whether to increase support for Ukraine or focus on a negotiated peace with Russia. Trump has raised the possibility of territorial concessions, while Zelenskyy has consistently said Ukraine must not give up any of its territory or sovereignty.

Sanctions, Ceasefire Talk, and NATO

As world leaders in Washington talked about guarantees, U.S. lawmakers ramped up their rhetoric in favor of economic pressure on Russia and its trading partners. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the Trump administration should take more decisive action to cut off Moscow’s access to funds by placing financial sanctions on the governments of countries that continue to buy Russian oil. Graham, who is cosponsoring a bill that would let Trump impose tariffs as high as 500 percent on countries that continue to do business with Russia, spoke at a rally at the State Capitol in Columbia.

“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. He added that China, in particular, can have the most influence on Putin’s decisions. “The second most important person on the planet to end this war is President Xi in China,” Graham said. “We’ve got to convince him that this is not in the interests of China. You just look at our hostages, our sailors that are being held in North Korea. It’s time for China to step up and tell Vladimir Putin you can’t do this.”

Trump has already shown a willingness to weaponize tariffs, as he announced in August a 50 percent tariff on India, in part because New Delhi purchased Russian oil. Graham suggested a similar threat against China could end the war quickly.

On the other side of the Atlantic, the European Union is also poised to ratchet up sanctions against Russia. The 19th round of EU measures is in the works, with a decision on the package expected later this month. Officials say the measures are designed to further cut into Russian energy revenues, limit access to the European banking system and key raw materials, and close loopholes that enable Moscow to evade sanctions. After almost four years of unprecedented coordination, Russia has been sanctioned more than any other country in modern history—overtaking Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela in economic isolation.

Sanctions, however, are not the only issue at the table. European leaders have also pressed Trump about the importance of a ceasefire before serious negotiations begin. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said a temporary pause in hostilities is required to give peace talks a chance of succeeding. “I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire,” Merz said. Trump shot back that several of the six peace agreements he said he brokered in the last few months were signed without a ceasefire. “You have a ceasefire, and they rebuild and rebuild and rebuild,” Trump said. He did admit the ceasefire’s biggest benefit would be to stop the immediate killing of civilians.

The newest leader to join the White House meeting was Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who was inaugurated in March 2024. Stubb has been vocal about his doubts that Russian President Vladimir Putin will respect a ceasefire and emphasized Finland’s own experience with its 800-mile border with Russia. “I think 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,” said Stubb, who is seen as one of Trump’s closest European interlocutors.

In addition to sanctions and ceasefires, Trump has also been direct about what Ukraine must do to make peace. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Ukraine must officially give back Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and give up hopes 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 wrote in the post, blaming the Obama administration for “giving” Crimea to Russia without any fight more than a decade ago. He also insisted that “NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE” must be a red line.