President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and top European leaders at the White House Monday — and a hot mic captured the dramatic shift in attitude towards the United States from her overseas allies.
Trump has set the stage for potential three-way peace negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the bloody war in Ukraine.
European leaders were caught on microphones thanking the U.S. president for his efforts.
“Something is changing — something has changed, thanks to you,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was heard saying. Russia hadn’t moved in three years on the war, she said. European leaders said they see a potential breakthrough in diplomatic momentum in recent days.
Take a look —
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to President Trump: "Something has changed, thanks to you." pic.twitter.com/h9qyW4c8yM
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 18, 2025
The diplomatic gathering came just days after Trump met with Putin in Alaska, with European leaders rushing to Washington to support Ukraine’s position before Zelensky’s arrival. The meeting represented a stark contrast to February’s volatile Oval Office encounter, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance had publicly criticized the Ukrainian leader.
This time, Zelensky arrived wearing a business suit instead of his trademark military clothing and opened his remarks with what observers counted as roughly a dozen expressions of gratitude to Trump. “I really want to thank you for your leadership,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Trump during the proceedings.
The Ukrainian president came bearing gifts, including a golf club from a wounded Ukrainian soldier and a letter from Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska for American first lady Melania Trump. Trump reciprocated by giving Zelensky “symbolic keys to the White House,” according to the Ukrainian president’s office.
Trump announced after the meeting that he had already spoken with Putin to begin arranging a direct meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.
“After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself,” Trump said. “Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.”
The president indicated there was now a “reasonable” chance of ending the conflict.
“We’re going to have a lasting peace. I hope it’s going to be immediately … I think the world is going to be happy when that’s announced,” Trump said.
During an afternoon roundtable with European officials, Trump addressed the thorny issue of territorial concessions, saying they would discuss “possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact.”
He explained this meant “the war zone, the war lines that are pretty obvious, very sad, actually, to look at them and negotiating positions.”
Trump emphasized that any final agreement would require consensus from all parties.
“Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made by President Zelensky and by the people of Ukraine working also together in agreement with President Putin,” he said.
A significant development emerged regarding security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump indicated the United States would play a role in protecting Ukrainian territory from future Russian aggression, though he ruled out deploying American ground troops.
“There will be a lot of help,” Trump said. “It’s going to be good. They’re a first line of defense, because they’re there, they’re Europe. But we’re going to help them out also. We’ll be involved.”
The president later told “Fox & Friends” that the U.S. could provide air support as part of such arrangements.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Trump to push for a ceasefire before the next meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials.
“The path is open. You opened it,” Merz told Trump. “The next steps ahead are the more complicated ones. I can’t imagine that the next meeting will take place without a ceasefire … Let’s work on that and try to put pressure on Russia.”
NATO’s Rutte credited Trump with breaking through the diplomatic stalemate, saying Trump “broke the deadlock” and could “end this” following Monday’s talks.
Zelensky confirmed that “very sensitive points” including prisoner exchanges had been discussed in his private meeting with Trump. When Trump offered to attend the trilateral meeting, saying “If you want me there, I’ll be there,” Zelensky responded “Ukraine will be happy if you will participate.”
European leaders were also caught on a hot microphone expressing amazement at the hostile media’s questions towards Trump.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb asked Trump “You go through this every day?” to which Trump replied “All the time.”
“But he loves it! He loves it! He does it always,” Meloni joked. “I never want to speak with my press!”
The cameras kept rolling for a few moments after the White House meeting with President Trump, Zelensky and European leaders officially ended, in which they were caught on a hot mic moment in a candid exchange about the press. pic.twitter.com/stXSpFMSo4
— New York Post (@nypost) August 18, 2025
The meetings represent Trump’s most concrete step toward fulfilling his campaign promise to end the Ukraine war quickly after taking office.
Trump posted on Truth Social after the meetings: “Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine.”