BREAKING: Trump promises 'very good protection' for Ukraine ahead of peace talks

President Donald Trump has said that there will "very good protection" for Ukraine ahead of Monday's peace talks in the Oval Office. Following this meeting, Trump and Zelensky both anticipate trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US toward a lasting peace.

Trump was asked about the potential security guarantees for Ukraine once peace is established, saying, "We're going to be discussing it today, but we will give them very good protection, very good security. That's part of it."

Zelensky and Trump are slated to meet with European leaders at the White House later on Monday.

The president did not get into specifics of what protection would be offered but emphasized that a lasting peace would come of the negotiations.  

When he was asked directly about if US peacekeepers would be involved, Trump stated: "We're going to work with Ukraine. We're going to work with everybody, and we're going to make sure that if there's peace, the peace is going to stay long term. This is very long term. We're not talking about a two-year peace, and then we end up in this mess again. We're going to make sure that everything's good. We'll work with Russia. We're going to work with Ukraine. We're going to make sure it works. And I think if we can get to peace, it's going to work. I have no doubt about it."

The meeting between Trump, Zelensky, and the European leaders follows a summit in Alaska between the US president and Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, where both sides said that progress had been made to reach peace in the war between Ukraine and Russia. 

Trump has said that he wants a trilateral meeting between the US, Russia, and Ukraine as soon as Friday, August 22.