Trump said after meeting with Putin in Alaska the “best way” to end Russia’s war with Ukraine is “to go directly to a peace agreement,” and not a “mere ceasefire agreement.”

Trump and Putin met at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday afternoon to discuss an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which began more than three years ago. The pair announced “great progress” had been made, but they still did not reach any kind of plan to end the war.

Leading European power players released a joint statement saying they “welcomed” the president’s efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine.

As President Trump touched down in Anchorage on Friday to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia over the war in Ukraine, that country’s leader, President Volodymyr Zelensky, criticized continuing Russian strikes as a sign that Moscow was not prepared to end the conflict.

A diplomatic scramble unfolded Saturday after President Donald Trump announced he would meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, next week in Alaska, as European leaders rushed to understand the terms of the meeting and ensure Ukraine was not being left out of discussions about its future.

Kyiv has repeatedly rejected any so-called "land swap" which would be against the Ukrainian Constitution. Zelensky's comments on Saturday acknowledge Trump's role in any peace deal with the summit but again reject the chances that Ukrainian land can be traded for peace.

European leaders said a call with President Donald Trump was unifying and that he agreed Ukraine should be part of any negotiations over territory, but some still worry he could give in to Russian President Vladimir Putin.