Putin and Zelensky to meet, Donald Trump says following European leaders' summit
The US president spoke directly with the Russian president to begin planning a meeting between the two warring leaders, which will then be followed by a three-way meeting involving himself.
It comes after Mr Trump said Moscow will "accept" multinational efforts to guarantee Ukraine's security while hosting several European leaders including the Ukrainian President, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.
Posting on his Truth Social platform after the meeting, Mr Trump said he and the eight leaders discussed security guarantees before he called the Russian president. Russia's President Vladimir Putin. (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
He described the meeting as "very good" and added: "During the meeting we discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, which guarantees would be provided by the various European countries, with a coordination with the United States of America.
"Everyone is happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine.
"At the conclusion of the meetings, I called president Putin and began arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between president Putin and president Zelensky.
"After the meeting takes place, we will have a trilat which would be the two presidents plus myself."
Before the White House talks, the US president said he would "probably" be able to find common ground with the leaders on a plan to ward off future attacks on Ukraine.
He previously met with Mr Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, where he declared there was "no deal until there's a deal" to end more than three years of fighting in eastern Europe.
"The Alaska summit reinforced my belief that while difficult, peace is within reach and I believe, in a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine," Mr Trump said on Monday.
"And this is one of the key points that we need to consider." United States President Donald Trump makes remarks as he participates in a Multilateral Meeting with European Leaders in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US. Picture date: Monday August 18, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Aaron Schwartz/PA Wire
He later said: "We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory taken into consideration the current line of contact."
Mr Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, had suggested measures similar to Nato's article five mutual defence provision – that an attack on one member is an attack on the entire bloc – could be offered by the US without Kyiv joining the alliance.
"We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer article five-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato," Mr Witkoff told CNN over the weekend, as he spoke about the Alaska summit.
Future three-way talks "have a good chance" of stopping the conflict, the US president claimed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky participates in a Multilateral Meeting with European Leaders in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US. Picture date: Monday August 18, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Aaron Schwartz/PA Wire
But the president appeared to share conflicting views on whether a ceasefire was necessary to stop the war.
"I don't think you need a ceasefire," he had originally said, before later explaining that, "all of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace".
Mr Zelensky, whom Mr Trump greeted at the door of the West Wing with a handshake earlier in the evening, wore a black shirt with buttons and a black blazer to the meeting at the White House.
His attire had appeared to become a point of irritation for Mr Trump during a previous meeting in February.
Early in the meeting, the Ukrainian described the talks as "really good", saying they had been "the best" so far.
Mr Zelensky said: "We are very happy with the president that all the leaders are here and security in Ukraine depends on the United States and on you and on those leaders who are with us in our hearts."
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
19 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
US broadens reach of steel and aluminum tariffs
The United States has broadened the reach of its steel and aluminum tariffs, the Commerce Department said, impacting hundreds more products that contain both metals such as child seats, tableware and heavy equipment. The Bureau of Industry and Security said in a recent notice that it was adding 407 product types to a list of items considered steel and aluminum "derivative products". This means a 50% tariff on both metals, imposed by President Donald Trump earlier in the year, will apply to their steel and aluminum content. The widened scope took effect yesterday, and the notice detailing the changes has been published in the Federal Register. "Today's action covers wind turbines and their parts and components, mobile cranes, bulldozers and other heavy equipment, railcars, furniture, compressors and pumps, and hundreds of other products," said the Commerce Department in a statement. The move "shuts down avenues for circumvention," Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler said, reiterating the aim of boosting US steel and aluminum industries. Since returning to the presidency, Mr Trump has imposed a 10% tariff on almost all US trading partners, alongside varying steeper levels on dozens of economies such as the European Union and Japan. Certain sectors have been spared from these countrywide tariff levels but instead were targeted under different authorities by even higher duties. In the case of steel and aluminum, Mr Trump initially unveiled a 25% tariff on imports of both metals before doubling this to 50% in June. Though the impact of Mr Trump's tariffs on consumer prices has been limited so far, economists warn that their full effects are yet to be seen. For now, some businesses have coped by bringing forward purchases of products they expected will encounter tariffs. Others have passed on additional costs to their consumers, or absorbed a part of the fresh tariff burden. But analysts note that importers and retailers will unlikely be able to eat these costs indefinitely, and could eventually raise more consumer prices. Some economists argue that the inflation hit will be one-off, but others are wary of more persistent effects. The latest US Commerce Department additions came after a window for the public to submit product inclusion requests.
Irish Examiner
19 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Gardaí exonerate politician in 'active criminal probe' into alleged Russian agent
Garda Headquarters has said an active criminal investigation is 'ongoing' into allegations that a national politician has links with Russian intelligence services. The statement followed a report in The Journal on Tuesday, which said the investigation had finished and that it had 'exonerated' the Oireachtas member. The article said an officer of the Special Detective Unit had sent confirmation to the politician that, according to the report, 'nothing had been found to suggest he had ever spied for Russia' or had worked for Russian agents. Asked about the status of the investigation, a Garda HQ statement said: 'An Garda Síochána is continuing an ongoing active criminal investigation into this matter. An Garda Síochána has no further comment.' The original allegation was published in The Sunday Times last October, with headlines stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'has an agent' in the Oireachtas. Articles alleged it was the first known case of 'infiltration' by a hostile intelligence service. The articles alleged that the politician was an 'agent of influence' of Russia - describing a person in a position to potentially influence policy or political narratives and/or make introductions – as opposed to an active spy. The Sunday Times articles detailed cases of alleged attempts by Russian intelligence to approach and meet the politician, and appear to relate to 2019 and 2020. The Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service has been co-ordinating an investigation into the matter, which long precede the media reports. The SDU – which is the operational arm of the service – is leading the investigation. The politician at the centre of the allegations had no comment to make.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump offers assurances that US troops will not be sent to help defend Ukraine
President Donald Trump has offered his assurances that US troops would not be sent to help defend Ukraine against Russia after seeming to leave open the possibility the day before. Mr Trump also said in a morning TV interview that Ukraine's hopes of joining Nato and regaining the Crimean Peninsula from Russia are 'impossible'. The Republican president, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders held hours of talks at the White House on Monday aimed at bringing an end to Russia's war against Ukraine. The White House meeting (Alex Brandon/AP) While answering questions from journalists, Mr Trump did not rule out sending US troops to participate in a European-led effort to defend Ukraine as part of security guarantees sought by Mr Zelensky. Mr Trump said after his meeting in Alaska last week with Vladimir Putin that the Russian leader was open to the idea of security guarantees for Ukraine. But asked on Fox News Channel's Fox & Friends what assurances he could provide going forward and beyond his term that American troops would not be part of defending Ukraine's border, Mr Trump said: 'Well, you have my assurance, and I'm president.' Mr Trump would have no control over the US military after his terms ends in January 2029. The president also said in the interview that he is optimistic that a deal can be reached to end the Russian invasion, but he underscored that Ukraine will have to set aside its hope of getting back Crimea, which was seized by Russian forces in 2014, and its long-held aspirations of joining the Nato military alliance. 'Both of those things are impossible,' Mr Trump said. Mr Putin, as part of any potential deal to pull his forces out of Ukraine, is looking for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as recognition of Crimea as Russian territory.
