AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will not be alone during talks at the White House tomorrow. He'll be joined by several European leaders. The summit in Alaska between President Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, aimed to end the war in Ukraine. Following their meeting, President Trump posted on social media that the best way to end the conflict is to go directly to a peace agreement, rather than pursuing a ceasefire deal, a position he previously championed. Joining us to discuss all this is White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Good morning, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So what stood out to you during Friday's summit?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, I think one big thing was kind of just a spectacle of it, you know, as you'd really expect for leaders of two superpowers. I mean, the choreographed handshake, the exaggerated smiles. I mean, you've been there for these things as well. But one thing that was different was that B-2 bomber flyover as they walked the red carpet, which is some experts see as kind of a message of power that Trump was trying to send Putin. Another thing that stood out to me was how the talks didn't really seem to yield anything concrete. They didn't take any questions, which is very odd for Trump. And Trump touted all this great progress, but he didn't say about what. I mean, it's really very clear that still so much needs to be worked out.
RASCOE: President Trump says he wants to end the war in Ukraine. But do we have any more of a sense of how the president might pursue that goal?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, we should remember, as you pointed out, that he said repeatedly, if he didn't get a ceasefire during the talks, he'd be very unhappy. He also warned that there would be serious consequences. Neither of those things happened or appear to be happening. Instead, he appears somewhat to be reversing course. I mean, Trump appears to be moving straight to negotiating a broader peace deal, which is Putin's preferred approach, and Putin has long demanded territory in the east of Ukraine that Russia has already gained control of.
I will note, though, that Trump allegedly told European leaders that in exchange that he was open to offering U.S. security guarantees to Ukraine, that's according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Now, that would be significant for the Trump administration as it has resisted several times of making any type of security guarantees before, saying that was Europe's job.
RASCOE: Ukraine's leader, President Zelenskyy, will be at the White House for talks along with other European leaders. I mean, this is a big moment. What can we expect?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, I think you can expect a somewhat tough and maybe very uncomfortable meeting. I mean, let's remember the last time Zelenskyy was in the Oval Office. I mean, he got lectured by Trump as well as the vice president. But as you know, he's got some backup this time. Several European and NATO leaders will be joining Zelenskyy, including the European Union chief, Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the NATO secretary general.
But Trump has already made clear that he was going to push Zelenskyy to make a deal, and that would likely mean giving up Ukrainian territory. And that seems like it's going to be really tough for Zelenskyy to do. Zelenskyy has said emphatically that Ukraine will not give up land to an occupier. That said, he did say - Zelenskyy that is - that he's open to a trilateral summit with Russia, Ukraine and the U.S.
RASCOE: And finally, you know, here in D.C., more National Guard troops are being deployed, you know, following the Trump administration's decision to take over the capital's police force. What more do we know?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, there's going to be several hundred, maybe as many as a thousand arriving from three Republican-led states - West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio. This as protests continue against Trump's efforts to take over law enforcement. There was a protest yesterday, where hundreds marched to the White House. You know, the response here in D.C. has been quite mixed. Local officials are, you know, trying to send a message that they'll work with the federal government as they're required to do based on local rules, but also expressing concern that the Trump administration is overreaching in its efforts. They did get a partial win, though, when Trump administration announced they were at least partially backing off plans to take over the D.C. force, but they're doubling down on the National Guard.
RASCOE: That's NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thank you so much for talking with us.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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