President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky, who Trump had criticised for wearing casual clothing during his last White House visit, was dressed in a dark suit, which Trump said looked “fabulous”.
He was also explicitly appreciative of US support, saying “thank you” six times within the first few minutes of the meeting, after US Vice President JD Vance accused him of failing to show adequate gratitude during his previous visit. "Have you said 'thank you' once?" Mr Vance asked Mr Zelensky in February.
But despite a cordial atmosphere, no concrete steps towards a peace deal had been implemented by the end of the day, nor did it look like any party had notably changed their position on land swaps, security guarantees or sanctions.
Here are the key takeaways from the meeting:
“Boots on the ground”?
So far, Trump hasn’t offered US troops’ “boots on the ground” in Ukraine, instead providing weapons and promising to continue doing business with the country.
But when asked if he would send US troops to the country, Trump didn’t say no. "We'll let you know that, maybe, later today," Trump said. He said Europe was the "first line of defence" but that "we'll be involved."
"We'll give them good protection," the president said, following a confirmation during last week’s Alaska Summit that Mr Putin had accepted that Ukraine would get security guarantees as part of any peace deal.
Mr Zelensky said that security guarantees were “a key issue, a starting point towards ending the war” and valued Trump’s indication that US support would be continued.
He also indicated that Ukraine would pledge to buy $90bn (£67bn) of US weapons, including aircraft, air defence systems and “other things I will not disclose". He also said that the US would buy Ukranian drones.
Mr Zelensky said that the security guarantees for Kyiv would likely be worked out within 10 days.
Trump backs away from a ceasefire
Trump has previously said that a ceasefire is essential before negotiations to end the war can start, but he pulled back from this notion during the summit. "I don't know that it's necessary," he said.
However, European leaders pushed back, particularly the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
"I can't imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire," Mr Merz said. "So, let's work on that and let's try to put pressure on Russia."
Mr Zelensky did not repeat his previous calls for a ceasefire.
Will Mr Zelensky meet Mr Putin?
According to Trump, a meeting between Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin could be in the works.
“I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky. After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself,” he said after the White House summit.
Zelensky said he was ready for talks with Putin, and a Putin advisor confirmed that Trump and Putin spoke over the phone for 40 minutes on Monday.
However, whether the meeting will go ahead is another story. Russia has delayed meetings with Ukraine in the past and it is not known whether Putin would actually sit down with Zelensky, having often described him as an illegitimate leader.
What happens next?
Trump said he would call Putin and organise a meeting with Ukraine, but where and when it would be wasn’t yet determined.
It’s also unclear if such a meeting would actually further the pursuit of peace. For instance, Russia is calling for Ukraine to relinquish control of significant chunks of territory, which Ukraine’s leaders are refusing to do.
