Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and prime European leaders met with United States President Donald Trump on the White Home on Monday to debate plans to carry an finish to Russia’s warfare in Ukraine.
Trump convened the assembly after final week’s three-hour summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the place Putin rejected the thought of a ceasefire earlier than reaching a complete peace deal and urged Ukraine to give up territory within the east in change for freezing the entrance line elsewhere.
Trump and Zelenskyy’s interactions had been notably hotter than throughout their tense encounter on the White Home in February, with the US president even praising his counterpart’s go well with.
Listed below are the important thing takeaways:
Trump says US will give Ukraine ‘superb safety’
Trump stated the US would again Europe in defending Ukraine as a part of a deal to finish the warfare with Russia.
“In relation to safety, there’s going to be a variety of assist,” Trump stated, describing European nations because the “first line of defence”.
“Now we have folks ready in one other room, proper now, they’re all right here from Europe,” Trump added. “Largest folks in Europe. And so they wish to give safety. They really feel very strongly about it, and we’ll assist them out with that.”
Trump additionally stated that US assist for Ukraine would proceed whatever the final result of the talks.
“It’s by no means the top of the highway. Individuals are being killed, and we wish to cease that. So, I’d not say it was the top of the highway. I believe we’ve got probability of doing it,” he stated.
Zelenskyy hailed the pledge as “a significant step ahead”.
He later instructed reporters that Ukraine had provided to purchase about $90bn price of US weapons.
Zelenskyy says he’s open to elections in Ukraine, if secure
Zelenskyy backed elections, supplied they’re held below secure circumstances.
“Sure, in fact. We’re open, sure… We have to work within the parliament as a result of through the warfare, you possibly can’t have elections, however we will, we will do safety,” Zelenskyy stated.
“We want a truce… to make it doable for folks to do democratic, open, authorized, authorized elections,” he added.
Trump says ceasefire not wanted
When requested if he would perform his promise from final week to impose “extreme penalties” on Russia if it doesn’t finish the warfare, Trump replied {that a} ceasefire will not be wanted.
“I don’t assume you want a ceasefire,” Trump stated.
“You realize, for those who have a look at the six offers that I settled this yr, they had been all at warfare. I didn’t do any ceasefires. And I do know that it is likely to be good to have, however I may perceive strategically why one nation or the opposite wouldn’t need it,” he stated.
“However we will work a deal the place we’re engaged on a peace deal whereas they’re preventing,” Trump added.
“They need to combat. I want they might cease.”
Trump has claimed credit score for serving to to finish six wars, together with conflicts between India and Pakistan and Cambodia and Thailand.
Ukraine wants ‘every part’ associated to safety ensures: Zelenskyy
Requested what ensures Zelenskyy would want from Trump to comply with a deal, the Ukrainian chief responded: “every part”.
“It consists of two elements. First, a powerful Ukrainian military that I started to debate together with your colleagues, and it’s quite a bit about weapons and other people and coaching points and intelligence,” Zelenskyy stated.
At this time, essential negotiations occurred in Washington. We mentioned many points with President Trump. It was an extended and detailed dialog, together with discussions concerning the scenario on the battlefield and our steps to carry peace nearer. There have been additionally a number of conferences in a… pic.twitter.com/YqkdRlyKCI
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2025
Trump sits down with European leaders
After his preliminary assembly with Zelenskyy, Trump held a multilateral assembly with the Ukrainian chief and European leaders, together with European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The US president described it as an “honour” to convene with them on the White Home, saying they had been united of their purpose of ending Russia’s warfare in Ukraine.
“We’ve had a really profitable day to date, and essential discussions as we work to finish the killing and cease the warfare in Ukraine,” Trump stated.
President Trump and President Zelenskyy en route to fulfill with the European leaders pic.twitter.com/EHvttm7nDl
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) August 18, 2025
Trump will search summit between Zelenskyy and Putin
“On the conclusion of the conferences, I referred to as President Putin and started the preparations for a gathering, at a location to be decided, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” he wrote in a publish on Reality Social after the talks.
Trump stated Russia agreed to simply accept safety ensures for Ukraine
“This is likely one of the key factors that we have to take into account, and we’re going to be contemplating that on the desk,” Trump stated.
He expressed optimism that, collectively, an settlement might be reached to discourage additional aggression in opposition to Ukraine.
Putin-Zelenskyy discussions will probably contain Ukraine ceding territory
Trump additionally stated discussions would want to handle the doable change of territory.
“In the end, this can be a resolution that may solely be made by President Zelenskyy and by the folks of Ukraine, working additionally in settlement with President Putin,” Trump stated.
Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, based on open-source estimates. Ukraine, which took management of a giant swath of Russia’s Kursk area throughout a shock counter-offensive final yr, shouldn’t be believed to carry any Russian territory at current.
Trump added that he anticipated Putin to launch Ukrainian prisoners quickly.
European leaders lay out positions
- NATO Secretary-Common Mark Rutte stated the precedence should be to cease the killing, in addition to the destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure, thanking Trump for having “damaged the impasse”.
- European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen stated the main target should be on a “simply and lasting peace for Ukraine”, and added: “Each single youngster has to return to its household,” referring to the compelled removing of Ukrainian kids to Russia and Belarus.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated he “can’t think about that the subsequent assembly would happen with out a ceasefire”, urging allies to “work on that and attempt to put strain on Russia”.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pressured that some of the essential points is safety ensures and “the way to ensure that it gained’t occur once more, which is the precondition of each type of peace”.
- French President Emmanuel Macron stated the purpose should be a “strong and longstanding peace”, and referred to as the thought of a trilateral assembly “crucial as a result of that is the one approach to repair it”. He additionally prompt that “we are going to want boots on the bottom” to safe peace.
All people round this desk is in favor of peace. pic.twitter.com/F7wYi8MQ8M
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 18, 2025
- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated the talks weren’t nearly Ukraine however “the safety of Europe and the UK as effectively, which is why that is such an essential situation”.
- Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated the gathering itself was “symbolic, within the sense that it’s Staff Europe and Staff United States serving to Ukraine”. Noting Finland’s lengthy border with Russia, he added: “We discovered an answer in 1944, and I’m positive that we’ll have the ability to discover a resolution in 2025 to finish Russia’s warfare of aggression, discover and get an enduring, simply peace.”
What’s subsequent?
European Council leaders will maintain a video name tomorrow to evaluate Monday’s talks, President Antonio Costa stated.
In a publish on X, Costa stated the decision would happen at 1pm Brussels time (11:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
