Zelensky arrives at the White House, meets with Trump
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are meeting at the White House to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.
They are expected to discuss and potentially sign a deal that would give the US access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals, but Zelensky wants security guarantees included.
The pair are expected to speak briefly to the media in the Oval Office, before holding a meeting and a press conference later.
The talks come a week after Zelensky said Trump was "living in a disinformation space" created by Russia and the US president accused his Ukrainian counterpart of being a "dictator".
Trump did not answer questions shouted by reporters about whether the two leaders would sign a deal today, but as he shook Zelensky's hand, Trump joked that the Ukrainian leader is "all dressed up today."
The deal would offer the US easy access to Kiev's untapped mineral wealth in exchange for investment and what Ukraine hopes would be concrete security guarantees. The details of the agreement remain unclear, but analysts say it could lead to broader peace negotiations.
Just days after calling the Ukrainian president a dictator, Trump softened his tone ahead of the meeting, telling reporters on Thursday: "I have a lot of respect for him."
Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, as European leaders sought security guarantees for Ukraine and tried to align themselves with Trump after being cut off by US-Russia talks to end the war.
