A meeting between Putin and Zelensky appears closer than ever after a marathon of discussions between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House regarding the war in Ukraine.
As the American president emphasized: “I had a very good meeting” at the White House with top European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump-Putin phone call
The successive meetings of the American president with his Ukrainian counterpart and subsequently with European leaders bore fruit, especially after Trump’s phone call to Vladimir Putin, which lasted 40 minutes and was confirmed by the Kremlin. Trump had announced he would call the Russian leader but had said this would happen after the meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders.
The Kremlin provided more details about the phone communication between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. According to reports in Russian state media, Yuri Ushakov emphasized that Putin warmly thanked the US leader for the Alaska summit held on Friday.
Ushakov reportedly added that Trump and Putin spoke in favor of continuing direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. RIA Novosti then reports that the call lasted 40 minutes and they also agreed to remain in contact on other issues.
Security guarantees for Ukraine in focus
The meeting, which concluded with further discussions in the Oval Office, focused on “Security Guarantees” for Ukraine, which European countries intend to offer in cooperation with the United States. According to Trump, all participants expressed optimism about the possibility of achieving peace between Russia and Ukraine after nearly four years of war.
European leaders’ discussions centered on the security guarantees they plan to offer Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the importance of US participation in these guarantees, while stressing the need for the return of abducted children from Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for pressure on Russia for a ceasefire before the next trilateral meeting. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron proposed conducting a multilateral meeting, as security guarantees concern all of Europe.
Es ist ein gutes Treffen mit Präsident Trump, Präsident Selenskyj und unseren europäischen Partnern heute in Washington, aber die nächsten Schritte werden komplizierter.
Wir müssen Druck auf Russland ausüben. Vor weiteren Gesprächen muss es einen Waffenstillstand geben. pic.twitter.com/UUFV3RjB9J
— Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) August 18, 2025
Preparations for trilateral meeting with Putin
In his first post after the White House talks, Donald Trump mentioned that he spoke with Vladimir Putin about a meeting between the Russian leader and Volodymyr Zelensky, followed by a trilateral meeting.
In the post, Trump said he had a “very good” meeting with Zelensky and European leaders at the White House. “During the meeting we discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, which will be provided by various European countries, in coordination with the US.”
Everyone is “very happy” with the possibility of peace for Russia and Ukraine, he added. “At the end of the meetings, I called Putin and started planning for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between Putin and Zelensky. After that meeting, we will have a trilateral meeting with the two presidents and myself,” Trump wrote.
This is a “very good first step for a war that has continued for nearly four years,” he added.
Zelensky’s reception, arrivals and discussions with European leaders – What preceded at the White House
Trump personally welcomed Zelensky at the White House entrance, shook his hand and expressed satisfaction with the black suit worn by the Ukrainian president – who usually appears everywhere in khaki military attire.
Zelensky thanked him and Trump put his hand on his back, leading him into the White House interior, where their last meeting in February ended disastrously with Trump scolding the Ukrainian president in front of cameras before being expelled from the presidential residence. Today’s crucial meeting seemed from the start that it would be very different.
Zelensky, who had been criticized last time because, according to Trump supporters, he didn’t express sufficient gratitude, now made sure to immediately thank the American president.
“Thank you for the invitation and thank you very much for your efforts, your personal efforts to end the slaughter and stop this war,” he told him. He also handed him a letter from his wife addressed to US First Lady Melania Trump, saying: “This is not for you, but for the First Lady.”
It should be noted that last week, Trump gave Putin a letter from Melania Trump when they met in Alaska.
Present in Washington for this hastily organized summit were European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, UK and Italian Prime Ministers Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni, French and Finnish Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Alexander Stubb, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
European leaders spoke with Trump immediately after discussions with Zelensky.
“In one to two weeks from now we will know if we can solve this terrible war,” declared US President Donald Trump at the start of the historic summit with European leaders at the White House.
“I believe Putin wants to finish it, he’s waiting for a trilateral meeting with me and Zelensky. We will be involved in security guarantees. We will give them very good protection and very good security,” Trump repeated.
Referring to the recent Alaska summit, Trump said they “made significant steps,” assuring that “Putin is willing to accept security guarantees.” Europe will bear a large burden of these guarantees but “we too will contribute to security,” he added, noting: “We are here to discuss who will do what.”
Subsequently, the leaders of Ukraine and other countries spoke. Their statements monopolized the topic of security guarantees, with Zelensky emphasizing that “it is important for the US to give a clear message that they are willing to provide security guarantees.”