President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked First Lady Melania Trump for writing a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin in which she advocated for the safety of children impacted by war. NBC News’ Monica Alba details how the first lady is influencing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that he believes President Donald Trump is prepared to “crush” Russia’s economy with a new wave of sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the coming weeks.

President Trump had suggested a meeting between Russia and Ukraine’s leaders could be a potential next step on the path to peace. Russian state news media barely mentioned the idea.

President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and key European leaders met at the White House on Monday afternoon to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine.

President Trump describes Ukraine peace talks as 'very good early step' following discussions with Zelenskyy and European leaders on security guarantees.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered this line in response to criticism of President Trump inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to U.S. territory: "He displayed a huge amount of military hardware and then did a flyover.

President Donald Trump said he’s begun arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a pathway to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As Trump and the leaders of European countries finished their family photo, the group was preparing to begin the summit in earnest.