Residents of Ukraine's capital held their breath as they closely watched meetings between their president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump alongside European leaders at the White House on Monday.

"We hope for positive results," Kyiv resident Lyudmila, said.

Trump on Monday expressed hope that he and Zelenskyy will soon hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin with the objective of ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

Trump, who hosted a meeting with Zelenskyy in Washington, said the United States will be involved in providing "very good" protection and security for Ukraine with European countries if a peace deal is struck, while ruling out pursuing a ceasefire first.

At the conclusion of his meetings with Zelenskyy and a group of European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump phoned Putin to initiate the three-way talks, according to a post on his official social media account.