The seven European leaders who accompanied President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on Monday made little secret of why they had suddenly interrupted their summer vacations to make the trip. They believed they might need to shield the Ukrainian leader from the disparagement and bullying he had to endure on his last Oval Office in February.

President Donald Trump is holding hastily arranged talks Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a host of European leaders — a rarity at the White House — as he seeks to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

As Trump hosted Zelensky and European leaders to energize months of stalled efforts to halt the Russia-Ukraine war, the tone was far different than when Ukraine’s president was hounded out of the White House in February.

Putin has repeatedly raised doubts about Zelensky's legitimacy as his term in office was due to expire in May 2024, but the war means no new presidential election has yet been held.

The president's sudden openness to offering NATO-style security guarantees to Ukraine has drawn a sharp rebuke from his hardcore allies.

President Donald Trump and others mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in March when he showed up at the White House in his customary military-style fatigues. Zelensky apparently got the message.

The last time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was inside the Oval Office, he was berated by his US hosts, denied a planned luncheon and abruptly asked to leave the West Wing.

President Donald Trump has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to give up on the idea of Ukraine reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO.“President Zelensky of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately,