Russian and Ukrainian presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky looked set for a peace summit after fast-moving talks Monday between US President Donald Trump and European leaders that focused on the key issue of long-term security guarantees for Kyiv.
Hopes of a breakthrough rose after Trump said he had spoken by phone with Russian counterpart Putin — whom he met in Alaska last week — following a “very good” meeting with the Europeans and the Ukrainian president at the White House.
It would be the first meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders since Moscow’s invasion nearly three and a half years ago, and comes as Trump tries to live up to his promise to quickly end the war.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Putin had agreed to the bilateral meeting within the next two weeks, but there was no confirmation of a date or location.
Trump told Zelensky that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any deal to end Russia’s war there, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear.
“When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” Trump told reporters, adding that European countries would be involved. “They are a first line of defense because they’re there, but we’ll help them out.”
(L-R) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Donald Trump, and French President Emmanuel Macron stand for a photo with European leaders in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025 (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
Zelensky hailed the promise as “a major step forward,” adding that the guarantees would be “formalized on paper within the next week to 10 days” and saying Ukraine offered to buy about $90 billion worth of US weapons.
The tone on Monday was much warmer than a disastrous Oval Office meeting that saw Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly criticize the Ukrainian leader in February.
But a peace deal still appeared far from imminent.
Just before the talks began, Russia’s Foreign Ministry ruled out the deployment of troops from NATO countries to help secure a peace deal, adding complications to Trump’s offer.
(L-R) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks as French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump listen during a meeting with European leaders in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025 (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
The last direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Turkey in June. Putin declined Zelensky’s public invitation to meet him face-to-face there and sent a low-level delegation instead.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in audio remarks on Telegram on Monday that Trump and Putin had discussed “the possibility of raising the level of representatives from the Ukrainian and Russian sides … participating in the mentioned direct negotiations.”
Meanwhile, European leaders — who rushed to Washington to back up Zelensky — urged Trump to insist that Putin agree to a ceasefire in the 3-1/2-year-old war before any talks can advance.
A scaled model of the Statue of Liberty draped in a Ukrainian flag stands in the French Embassy gardens in Washington, DC on August 18, 2025, as French President Emmanuel Macron met earlier in the day with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and European leaders (Yves Herman / POOL / AFP)
Trump previously backed that proposal but reversed course after meeting with Putin on Friday, instead adopting Moscow’s position that any peace agreement be comprehensive.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he liked the concept of a ceasefire but the two sides could work on a peace deal while the fighting continued.
“I wish they could stop, I’d like them to stop,” he said. “But strategically that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other.”
Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, in an X post called it “an important day of diplomacy today with the focus on Lasting Peace not a Temporary Ceasefire.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a meeting with European leaders in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025 (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron both voiced support for a ceasefire as a prerequisite to any direct talks with Russia. Macron also said European leaders would eventually need to be included in any peace talks.
“When we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent,” he told Trump.
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