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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Monday that he had a “good” phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on the topic of security guarantees for Ukraine, as the war with Russia enters its fourth year.

Addressing the press at the White House alongside Trump and European leaders on Monday, Zelenskyy emphasized that security guarantees remained at the heart of Ukraine’s existence 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. “This is very important that they, the authorities of the United States, send very strong signals to Russia. We are very happy. So it’s very important, but we are going to talk about security guarantees,” he added, though he did not elaborate on the specific content of such a guarantee.

Trump also highlighted the importance of security, but made clear that Europe should pay the primary price. The conflict, he said, could not be resolved without tough talks about the exchange of 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 brought out a significant difference between Western leaders on how to balance support for Ukraine with the prospects for a negotiated peace. While Zelenskyy reiterated the same demand for long-term guarantees of sovereignty, Trump has suggested that Ukraine should make territorial concessions.

Sanctions, Ceasefire Debate, and the NATO Question

As the leaders met in Washington to discuss guarantees, U.S. lawmakers on Capitol Hill were sharpening their call for economic measures on Russia and its trading partners. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called on the Trump administration to take a harder line against Moscow’s financial sector by sanctioning countries that continue to purchase Russian oil. He is co-sponsoring a bill that would empower Trump to levy tariffs of as much as 500 percent on countries that conduct 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. “I think China is the most important, but the second most important person on the planet to end this war is President Xi in China,” he added. He said Washington needed to pressure China into backing off, as Beijing has sent an unqualified endorsement of Moscow.

Trump has already demonstrated a willingness to use tariffs as a tool in the war. In August, he announced a 50 percent tariff on India in part due to its oil purchases from Russia. Graham said that if Trump is prepared to take such a step against China, the course of the war could change almost immediately.

In the EU, there is a new 19th package of sanctions against Russia in the works. The sanctions package is due to be unveiled later this month and will aim to further degrade Russia’s energy earnings, access to banking, and military-industrial capacity, while also closing loopholes that have allowed countries to evade the previous 18 sanctions packages. After nearly four years of coordinated action by Western countries, Russia is now the most sanctioned country in history, more economically isolated than Iran, North Korea, or Venezuela.

Sanctions, however, are not the only bone of contention. European leaders have also pressed Trump on a ceasefire as a precondition for meaningful negotiations. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz argued that a temporary halt in fighting was necessary for peace talks to have any credibility. “I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire,” Merz said. Trump pushed back, saying that several of the six peace agreements he claims to have brokered in the last few months were struck without a ceasefire. “You have a ceasefire, and they rebuild and rebuild and rebuild,” Trump said, conceding that the main appeal of a truce would be to stop civilian casualties.

The newest leader to join the White House talks was Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who took office in March of this year. Stubb had been openly skeptical of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability or willingness to respect a ceasefire. He also emphasized Finland’s experience with Russia and the 800-mile border they share. “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 has been described as Trump’s closest European interlocutor, said.

Beyond sanctions and a ceasefire, Trump has been more direct about his conditions for peace. On Truth Social, he urged Ukraine to sign away Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and to abandon its goal of NATO accession. “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote. Blaming the Obama administration for “giving” Crimea to Russia without a fight more than a decade ago, Trump also said that “NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE” must be a red line.

The deep contrast between Zelenskyy’s insistence on Western guarantees for the future and Trump’s call for concessions laid bare sharp divides in Washington and Europe about how to end the war. With new EU sanctions on the way, new tariff threats from the White House, and continued fighting on the battlefield, the path to peace looks as tenuous as ever, caught between compromise and solidarity.