Stephen A. Smith argued that Democratic presidents Biden, Obama and Clinton are responsible for the Russia-Ukraine war breaking out, not Trump, during his podcast on Monday.

US President Donald Trump has ditched his call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, backing instead Russian President Vladimir Putin’s push for a permanent peace agreement. That has not stopped some European leaders from pushing for a temporary truce first, even though the US president has seemingly decided one is not necessary.

Major questions remain over what both sides might accept after Trump held successive talks with Putin and Zelensky.

The second Oval Office meeting in six months between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went off smoothly, in sharp contrast to their disastrous encounter in February.

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, is scheduled to speak with the media at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, according to the White House, a day after President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders.

President Trump has offered only vague assurances of security guarantees for Ukraine if President Volodymyr Zelensky agrees to cut a deal with Russia.

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

Broadcast and cable networks went to special reports on Monday as Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to journalists in the Oval Office in advance of talks of a peace deal to settle Ukraine’s war with Russia.