Russia has said it views the deployment of troops from Nato countries to Ukraine as a red line in negotiations. European leaders held fresh talks on Tuesday after their White House meeting with Zelenskyy amid uncertainty over Putin’s readiness to meet the Ukrainian president. At the heart of Tuesday’s talks among European allies was the question of what security guarantees could be offered to Ukraine. Monday’s White House meeting shed little light on Putin’s territorial terms. “Putin, Zelenskyy and the European leaders were all relieved: they had avoided Trump taking unwelcome decisions.