Zelenskyy and European Leaders Meet With Trump at White House in Bid to End Russian War on Ukraine

Latest Developments

“Very Substantial Progress”: Joined by several European leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss a possible end to Russia’s three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine. During an Oval Office press conference, Zelenskyy noted positively “that the United States gives such a strong signal and is ready for security guarantees” to deter future Russian aggression. Trump, who promised to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone after the day’s meetings, said that “very substantial progress” had been made, floating the possibility of hosting a trilateral summit involving himself, Zelenskyy, and Putin. “If we don’t have a trilat, then the fighting continues, and if we do, we have a good chance — I think if we have a trilat, there’s a good chance of maybe ending it,” Trump stated. Zelenskyy delivered a letter from Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska addressed to First Lady Melania Trump, thanking her for her letter to Putin urging peace for the sake of children in Ukraine and Russia. According to Zelenskyy, her letter focused on the plight of around 20,000 Ukrainian children abducted from their country by Russia.
Europe Pushes for Ceasefire, Security Guarantees: Trump and Zelenskyy were then joined at the talks by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Despite stating earlier that a ceasefire was unnecessary for a deal, Trump said that an “immediate ceasefire while we work on lasting peace” would be preferred. Rutte praised Trump for breaking the “deadlock” between Europe and Russia, adding, “We have to stop the killing. We have to stop the destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure.” Merz pushed Trump to pressure Russia into entering a ceasefire before additional talks can continue, while Meloni highlighted the need for “security guarantees” for Ukraine to be “sure that it won’t happen again, which is the precondition of every kind of peace.”
Putin’s Demands: The meeting at the White House followed a bilateral meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska on August 15. Following the meeting, Trump told European leaders in a phone call that Putin had agreed to end the war in Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine ceding the remaining parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces that are not currently under Russian occupation. Ukraine’s Constitution prevents any parts of Ukrainian territory from being ceded without a national referendum. Putin also demanded that Ukraine be excluded from joining NATO, but reportedly agreed to unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine.

FDD Expert Response

“The atmospherics at today’s summit meetings were as good as one could have hoped for and better than one might have expected. But as to substance, we just don’t know much yet. Putin wants victory, not peace. Whether Trump can persuade him to settle for less — at least for the foreseeable future — remains the key question.” — Clifford D. May, Founder and President

“Putin is not interested in a long-term peace solution. He’s just buying more time to strengthen his military and improve his economy to pursue his imperialistic ambitions. Trump should push for a ceasefire because if Putin is interested in a long-term peace, he would send a credible signal to the West by stopping the killing right now.” — Ivana Stradner, Research Fellow