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

Speaking at the White House alongside Trump and European leaders, Zelenskyy said security guarantees remain at the heart of Ukraine’s continued 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. “The possibility of extending to our country a strong signal, which we very much want to hear, is very important. Very important,” Zelenskyy added, though he did not offer specific details about what such guarantees might look like.

Trump, for his part, repeated his call for security but suggested that Europe had to shoulder most of the burden. The conflict, he added, could not be solved without “having some very difficult 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 underscored deep divisions between Western leaders over how to balance supporting Ukraine with their desire to pursue a negotiated peace. Trump, who has long floated the possibility of territorial concessions, appeared to contradict Zelenskyy, who on several occasions has said Ukraine’s borders must not be changed.

Sanctions, Ceasefire Debate, NATO Question Loom

While world leaders in Washington were discussing guarantees, U.S. lawmakers were stepping up calls to impose economic costs on Russia and its trading partners. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., suggested Trump should target Moscow’s finances and target countries that continue to buy Russian oil. Graham is co-sponsoring legislation that would allow Trump to impose tariffs of as much as 500 percent on any country that continues to do business with Russia.

“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 the Chinese, in particular, have “more power” over Putin than Washington does. “The second most important person on the planet to end this war is President Xi in China,” Graham said. “The main question we have to ask Xi is: How much support is China giving Putin, financial, moral, spiritual, military?” Graham said.

Trump has already made use of tariffs, and in August, he announced a 50 percent tariff on India, in part for its oil purchases from Moscow. Graham suggested a similar threat to Beijing could rapidly change the course of the war.

On the other side of the Atlantic, the European Union is also ramping up pressure. The 19th round of sanctions against Russia is being prepared, with new measures expected later this month. The moves are expected to include fresh restrictions on Russian energy revenues, banking access, and its military-industrial base. The bloc is also working to close loopholes that allow Moscow to evade existing measures by targeting specific types of companies and dual-use technologies. Following more than three years of concerted Western pressure, Russia has become the most sanctioned country in modern history—more isolated than Iran, North Korea, or Venezuela.

Sanctions are not the only sticking point. European leaders also pressed Trump on the need for a ceasefire before serious negotiations could begin. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested that a temporary truce is required to give talks any credibility. “I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire,” Merz said. Trump disagreed, saying he had brokered six peace agreements in recent months, without a ceasefire. “You have a ceasefire, and they rebuild and rebuild and rebuild,” Trump said, while conceding that the main appeal of a truce is that it would immediately end civilian casualties.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who was inaugurated in March 2024, also took part in the White House talks. Stubb, who has previously been skeptical of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interest in a ceasefire, noted Finland shares an 800-mile border with Russia and has a unique historical perspective on the nation. He said, “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.” Stubb, who is widely considered one of Trump’s closest European interlocutors, has been friendly with the former president.

Beyond sanctions and ceasefires, Trump has been clear-eyed about his conditions for peace. He wrote in a post on Truth Social Sunday that Ukraine should give up Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and give up its 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. He faulted the Obama administration for “giving” Crimea to Russia without a fight more than a decade ago and said “NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE” should be a red line.

The contrast between Zelenskyy’s appeal for long-term Western guarantees and Trump’s calls for concessions underscored a deep divide in Washington and Europe about the best way to end the war. With new sanctions on the way, fresh tariff threats, and a steady stream of battlefield clashes, the best path to peace remains unclear—caught between the competing demands for compromise and solidarity.