On January 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump in Davos. He called it productive and substantive. The work of the teams, air defense for Ukraine, and additional missiles were discussed.
A good meeting with President Trump, productive and substantive. We discussed the work of the teams, and virtually every day there are meetings or communication. The documents are even better prepared. Today we also talked about air defense for Ukraine – the previous meeting with President Trump helped protect the sky. And I hope that this time we will also strengthen ourselves. I thanked him for the previous package of air defense missiles and asked for an additional one. Protecting lives, our resilience, joint diplomatic work. Thank you!
Today we will recall all of Zelenskyy's contacts with the US head, starting from Trump's first term.
2019 - first phone contacts between Trump and Zelenskyy and the scandal
After Zelenskyy's victory in the elections in April 2019, the presidents spoke on the phone several times. The most famous was the call on July 25, 2019: its transcript and partial public discussion about it formed the basis of the first impeachment investigation against Donald Trump. The conversation discussed security issues, the supply of defense equipment, and Trump's request for investigations related to the Biden family - which became the subject of a political conflict in the United States.
The first personal meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump took place on September 25, 2019, in New York. It was an attempt to reduce tensions after the scandal surrounding the phone call. The presidents held talks in the Oval Office, discussing support for Ukraine, sanctions against Russia, and prospects for bilateral relations.
Despite public statements about a "good and constructive" conversation, this meeting took place in the shadow of the impeachment scandal and did not lead to a qualitative reset of relations. Even then, it became clear that the dialogue between Zelenskyy and Trump would be difficult, politicized, and closely tied to internal struggles in the United States from the very beginning.
September 27, 2024 - meeting at Trump Tower
After Zelenskyy's speech at the UN General Assembly, a short closed-door meeting took place at Trump Tower on September 27, 2024. Zelenskyy brought Trump a so-called "victory plan" - ways to end the war, the role of the United States, and the risks of territorial concessions were discussed. The meeting was noted as "productive." Subsequently, Trump, as a candidate, spoke about his desire to help end the war, but also demonstrated a willingness to engage in dialogue with Putin.
November 6, 2024 - conversation after the elections and Trump's victory
After winning the elections, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy exchanged comments and telephone greetings. This was part of the normalization of contacts between the leaders after the election cycle.
2025 - a year of intensive and fateful contacts
2025 was key: from Trump's shocking posts about "dictator Zelenskyy," the "minerals" agreement, an open quarrel in the Oval Office, to "good and productive" dialogues, the possible transfer of long-range Tomahawk missiles, and many meetings at international venues throughout the year.
February 25–28, 2025 - preparation of the "minerals" agreement and Zelenskyy's visit to the USA
In February 2025, a large-scale framework agreement on the extraction and joint investment in Ukrainian resources was discussed as a financial mechanism for the country's recovery and part of a broader "peace plan." Zelenskyy's visit to Washington for the signing of a "very big agreement" was announced.
February 28, 2025 - Oval Office: Trump and Zelenskyy's "legendary quarrel"
The central episode of 2025 was the official meeting in the Oval Office on February 28, 2025, which was broadcast and instantly became an international media hit. The meeting aimed to finalize the framework for minerals and further security guarantees for Ukraine, but in reality, it quickly turned into a fierce verbal conflict between Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Zelenskyy.
Nature of the clash: Trump and Vance publicly reproached Zelenskyy for "ingratitude" and pressed for a quick agreement on a ceasefire, even without clear and guaranteed conditions for protecting Ukraine's territorial integrity. Trump emphasized Zelenskyy's "lack of cards," while the Ukrainian leader insisted that Ukraine could not agree to concessions to Russia without reliable guarantees, and stressed that he "does not play cards" but leads the state during the war. The discussion sharply escalated into mutual accusations - at one point, Trump accused Zelenskyy of "gambling with millions of lives" and cut short the meeting.
Public outcome: the planned joint press conference and signing of the agreement were canceled; it became obvious that the parties had significant differences in their approach to the terms of a ceasefire and guarantees. After the conversation, Zelenskyy thanked for the support but refused to apologize and stated that he was ready to continue negotiations, but not on terms of concessions without guarantees. Trump published sharp statements on social media about Ukraine's "unwillingness to peace."
Trump argues with Zelensky: why there was a misunderstanding28.02.25, 20:08 • [views_114335]
April 26, 2025 - short private conversation in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican
Later in the spring of 2025, Trump and Zelenskyy held a short 15-minute "private" conversation in St. Peter's Basilica during the Pope's funeral. The conversation had a symbolic character and served as an attempt to resume working contacts after the public incident in Washington: both leaders touched upon the topic of peace, guarantees, and the role of Western partners. No immediate major agreement was announced after this meeting, but the meeting emphasized that communication lines remained open.
June 25, 2025 - Netherlands, The Hague: meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit
In The Hague, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a bilateral meeting that lasted about 45-50 minutes and was not actually part of the official part of the summit.
This conversation became an important prerequisite for further diplomatic efforts to find peace in Ukraine. According to Zelenskyy, all "really important issues" were on the agenda, including opportunities to achieve a ceasefire, ensure the protection of the civilian population, and strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities.
The parties also touched upon the topic of strengthening Ukrainian air defense, which was one of Kyiv's key strategic needs, and agreed to continue dialogue in this direction with the involvement of European partners.
Although there was no official press conference after this meeting, both leaders described the communication as long and substantive, and Trump mentioned that the conversation gave him a clear understanding of Ukraine's desire for peace.
August 18, 2025 - Washington, White House: multilateral meeting with European leaders
This was one of the largest and perhaps most significant meetings in the "Ukraine - USA - Europe" format in 2025: Zelenskyy arrived in Washington for talks with Trump in the Oval Office of the White House ahead of broader discussions involving more than seven European leaders.
The agenda included reform and security guarantees for Ukraine, which could be similar to NATO Article 5 guarantees - that is, commitments to mutual defense if peace is achieved.
The American and Ukrainian presidents discussed the roles of the United States and Europe in ensuring security and developing post-war stability, as well as the possibility of a trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy, and Putin in the future.
Trump, according to sources, stated that the United States would be "involved" in providing security guarantees to Ukraine, but at the same time emphasized that European allies could take on part of the obligations. Zelenskyy stressed the importance of these guarantees in ensuring lasting peace.
This meeting was not just another conversation between two presidents - it reflected an attempt to create a broader international consensus on a further strategy for ending the war and establishing security on the European continent.
December 28, 2025 - Palm Beach, Florida: Trump and Zelenskyy's conversation at Mar-a-Lago about the "peace plan"
This was the deepest and longest meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in 2025, lasting about 2.5 hours at Trump's private residence - Mar-a-Lago.
The main topic was the discussion of a "peace plan," which included a 20-point framework developed by Ukrainian and American negotiators to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Key elements of this plan included:
- legally binding security guarantees for Ukraine, including long-term agreements that may be similar to NATO defense guarantees;
- a ceasefire on current front lines and the creation of a demilitarized buffer zone under international control;
- large-scale reconstruction assistance and economic cooperation with Western partners.
After the talks, Trump expressed the opinion that "all prerequisites for a peace agreement exist" and that security guarantees could be "strong and effective," while Zelenskyy confirmed that a significant part of the plan was already close to agreement.
This meeting was the culmination of a year of diplomatic efforts, when two key parties tried to concretize the next steps to end the war as much as possible.
Zelenskyy and Trump's meeting began with lunch28.12.25, 21:37 • [views_4865]
2025 as the "battle for Trump"
2025 in relations between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump was neither smooth nor simple. It was a year of difficult, nervous, and often contradictory conversations, combining open tensions, periodic conflicts, and at the same time - moments of real constructiveness.
Negotiations regularly balanced on the brink: sometimes it seemed that Trump was more inclined to Russian logic, appealing to "quick peace," concessions, and agreements at any cost. Such signals caused concern both in Kyiv and in European capitals. However, each time the situation was managed to be leveled - through Zelenskyy's personal conversations, through collective pressure and argumentation of European partners, through an appeal to security, the reputation of the United States, and the strategic interests of the West.
It is important that 2025 showed: Trump is neither a stable ally of Ukraine nor an unambiguous ally of Russia. He is rather a political actor for whom a constant struggle is being waged. That is why this year can be described as a battle for Trump - where Ukraine and Russia tried to pull him to their side, using different arguments, signals, and channels of influence.
The Ukrainian side, together with the Europeans, in most key moments managed to "pull through" negotiations, reduce the risks of pro-Russian decisions, and return the conversation to the framework of security guarantees, Russia's responsibility, and the role of the United States as a leader of the West. This did not mean a complete victory, but it meant - keeping the situation from a strategic failure.
Overall, 2025 showed that dialogue with Trump is not a partnership in the classic sense, but a constant process of bargaining, persuasion, and deterrence. And it was in this complex, often chaotic interaction that Ukraine demonstrated political resilience, and Europe - a growing role as a balancing factor.