Ahead of his meeting with President Trump in the White House on Friday, President Zelensky is demanding that his country be given security guarantees if a ceasefire with Russia is to be reached

“I wanted to have a sentence on security guarantees for Ukraine, and it’s important that it’s there. I want to find a NATO path or something similar. If we don’t get security guarantees, we won’t have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing,” Zelensky said. 

The two leaders are expected to sign a deal that will allow America to extract rare earth minerals from Ukraine, but the deal is closely linked to Kyiv’s security guarantees designed to deter Russia from further aggression. 

As Mr. Trump prepares to host Mr. Zelensky for the first time since taking office, American and Russian officials were scheduled to meet at Istanbul on Thursday. 

“The first contacts with the new US administration give some hope. There is a mutual desire to work on restoring relations,” President Putin said on Thursday. 

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow expects today’s meeting will be “the first in a series of such expert consultations that will bring us closer to overcoming the disagreements that have arisen with the American side, strengthening confidence-building measures.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, warned “not to get ahead of ourselves for now, clarifying that today’s meeting is “at expert level.”

“Our diplomats are working to develop the understanding that was reached in the telephone conversation between the two presidents and the agreements reached in Riyadh by the high-level delegations,” he said. 

Mr. Peskov also reiterated that Russia won’t give up any territory it has seized from Ukraine. 

“The territories which have become subjects of the Russian Federation, which are inscribed in our country’s constitution, are an inseparable part of our country. This is undeniable and non-negotiable,” Peskov said. 

While Russia and American continue its bilateral meetings to end the war, European leaders are scrambling to unite behind Ukraine. 

“The EU and its member states are ready to take more responsibility for Europe’s security. We should therefore be prepared for a possible European contribution to the security guarantees that will be necessary to ensure a lasting peace in Ukraine” EU Council President Antonio Costa said. 

Mr. Zelensky is expected to meet with European leaders at London on Sunday when another high-level summit on Ukraine is taking place.