From PBS NewsHour.

President Donald Trump said Monday that he planned to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.

He also pushed for a meeting among the three leaders, saying it was likely the only way to end the war.

“If we don’t have a trilat, then the fighting continues, and if we do, we have a good chance. I think if we have a trilat, there’s a good chance of maybe ending it,” Trump said in the Oval Office, sitting next to Zelenskyy.

Trump’s comments come days after he met with Putin in Alaska. In the aftermath of that meeting, Trump pulled back his call for a ceasefire.

The Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy precedes larger meetings with top European leaders, who are presenting a united front in support of Ukraine.

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