Positive outcome after White House meeting with Ukraine
European officials said the hastily arranged talks reflected the urgency many leaders feel, along with President Trump, on ending the war, which has claimed thousands of lives over the past three and a half years.
Trump and Zelensky held an initial meeting, before they were then joined in a discussion with key European leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, The European Commission and NATO. WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 18: U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by)
The atmosphere was much friendlier than that of the last meeting at the White House, which descended into a shouting match between President Zelensky, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
This time, Volodomyr Zelensky broke from his usual military style clothing and wore a smart suit to the meeting, and he also handed over a letter from his wife Olena, for the American first lady Melania Trump, thanking her for her message to Vladamir Putin about the suffering of children during the war. WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 18: U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and other European leaders at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted President Zelensky at the White House for a bilateral meeting and an expanded meeting with European leaders to discuss a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. (Photo by)
It's understood their discussion covered security guarantees and humanitarian concerns, but, there was also some discussion on the possibility of Ukraine purchasing American weapons, through European funding.
Zelensky also said both men discussed a map of Russian-captured areas in Ukraine, adding that he had 'argued' with Trump about the amount of territory held by Russia.
It's understood President Trump paused the meeting with Zelensky to phone Putin and tell the Russian leader what had been discussed and come to an agreement on setting up a meeting between Zelensky and Putin, something it's believed Putin was supportive of. WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 18: U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by)
Speaking after the meeting Donald Trump promised American assistance saying 'When it comes to security, there's going to be a lot of help,' adding that European countries would be involved. 'They are a first line of defence because they're there, but we'll help them out.'
Afterwards the Ukrainian president was upbeat as he described the promise of American help as a 'major step forward' saying these guarantees would be 'formalized on paper within the next 10 days'.
Donald Trump also said he had already begun making plans for a bi-lateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky, adding that he would join in a tri-lateral session, after the two men held initial talks. The Ukrainian leader added that he is ready for 'any format of a meeting' with the Russian President.
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