19.08.2025 15:03
U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House. In a statement following the summit, Trump mentioned that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky would take place, although the location has not yet been determined, and said, "We could reach an agreement within a week or two."
Recently meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Donald Trump this time hosted Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. After their bilateral meeting, Trump and Zelensky met with EU and NATO leaders. During the meeting, Trump had a 40-minute conversation with Russian leader Putin.
CLAIM OF A 100 BILLION DOLLAR ARMS DEAL
The British Financial Times reported that Ukraine proposed a 100 billion dollar arms deal to Trump in exchange for security guarantees. After the meeting, Trump announced that a conversation between Putin and Zelensky would take place, but they had not yet decided on the location of the summit. Meanwhile, AFP reported that Putin told Trump he was "ready to meet with Zelensky." It was also learned that Istanbul is among the locations being considered to host the summit.
ZELENSKY: LAND ISSUES WILL BE ON THE AGENDA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he is ready for bilateral negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the meeting, Zelensky made a statement to the press. He emphasized the importance of leadership level in solving "painful issues," stating that he is ready for bilateral negotiations with Putin before the planned trilateral meeting with the participation of US and European leaders. Zelensky said, "As I said, we are ready for any format at the leadership level. Because we can only solve all these complex and painful issues at the leadership level. Therefore, I confirmed that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin, and I was supported by all European leaders, and then I expect a trilateral meeting." He noted that land issues would be on the agenda in direct talks with Putin, adding that he had the opportunity to discuss the topic with Trump and his team using maps for the first time.
RUTTE: THE TOPIC WE DISCUSSED IS SIMILAR TO ARTICLE 5 GUARANTEES
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated in a statement that Trump convinced Russian President Putin to meet with Zelensky before the trilateral meeting during his phone call with him, noting that the parties would decide where this meeting would take place.
Rutte emphasized that Ukraine's NATO membership is not part of the current discussions, stating, "Since the 2024 summit, NATO's official position has been that Ukraine's entry into NATO is a one-way street, but the topic we are discussing here is not NATO membership. The topic we are discussing here is security guarantees similar to Article 5 for Ukraine."
Rutte expressed that the issue of territorial concessions for Ukraine was not addressed in the meeting, stating that they would continue to work on security guarantees in the coming days, and that they would hold an online meeting with the leaders he met today, and then work towards a US-Russia-Ukraine trilateral meeting.
MERZ: THE MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE WITHIN TWO WEEKS
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the meeting in Washington went well, emphasizing that a ceasefire must be established before moving on to the next discussions. In a statement on X, Merz noted that the meeting they attended went well. He mentioned that the next steps would be "more complex." Merz said, "We must put pressure on Russia. A ceasefire must be established before moving on to the next discussions."
Merz stated that they had a meeting with Trump that exceeded their expectations, saying, "All of Europe must participate in security guarantees." He expressed uncertainty about whether Putin has the courage to attend the summit with Zelensky regarding the trilateral meeting announced by Trump. Chancellor Merz also mentioned that Trump agreed on a Putin-Zelensky meeting to take place within two weeks. He also noted that the location of the meeting has not yet been determined.
TRUMP: THERE WILL BE A PUTIN-ZELENSKY MEETING
US President Trump made a statement on his Truth Social account after meetings with both Zelensky and European leaders at the White House. Trump said, "I had a very productive meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte."
The US President emphasized that the meeting, which started in the East Room, ended with a meeting in a different format in the Oval Office, stating, "During the meeting, we discussed security guarantees for Ukraine to be provided by various European countries in coordination with the US. Everyone is very pleased with the possibility of peace for Russia/Ukraine."
Trump noted that at the end of the meetings, he called Putin, stating, "I have started preparations for a meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky, the location of which has not yet been determined. After this meeting, we will hold a trilateral meeting with the two heads of state and myself." He pointed out that this step is very important to end the war, mentioning that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Representative Steve Witkoff have started working on arranging this meeting. Meanwhile, US media reported that the Putin-Zelensky meeting is hoped to take place at the end of this month.
KREMLIN: THE TRUMP-PUTIN MEETING LASTED 40 MINUTES
The Kremlin announced that Trump and Putin spoke on the phone.
In a meeting that lasted 40 minutes, it was stated that Trump and Putin are in favor of continuing direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. Russian media also commented that Trump and Putin agreed to stay in close contact.
Kremlin Foreign Policy Advisor Yuriy Ushakov, in a statement to reporters, emphasized that the meeting was held at Trump's initiative and noted that Putin thanked Trump for his hospitality and good organization at the summit held in Alaska, as well as for the progress made towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis.