PM to speak with allies, amid reports Trump mulling Russian land grab in Ukraine
The Prime Minister, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will host the coalition of the willing on Sunday afternoon.
The video conference of allies who plan to keep the peace in Ukraine comes ahead of Volodymyr Zelensky's White House meeting with Donald Trump on Monday.
The one-on-one in the Oval Office could pave the way for a three-way meeting alongside Russian leader Mr Putin, the US President has said.
The Russian and American leaders met on Friday at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska, for a summit to broker an end to the war in Ukraine.
Several news outlets have cited sources which claimed that during the negotiations Mr Putin demanded full control of Donetsk and Luhansk – two occupied Ukrainian regions – as a condition for ending the war.
In exchange, he would give up other Ukrainian territories held by Russian troops.
Other outlets reported that Mr Trump is inclined to support the plan, and will speak to Mr Zelensky about it on Monday when they meet in the Oval Office.
Sir Keir commended Mr Trump's 'pursuit of an end to the killing' following a phone call with the US President, Mr Zelensky and Nato allies on Saturday morning.
But he insisted Ukraine's leader must not be excluded from future talks to broker a peace in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister and European leaders appeared increasingly confident that Mr Trump will offer a 'security guarantee' of air support to back up allied troops on the ground in Ukraine, should they be deployed to keep the peace.
But Mr Trump also appeared to have a change of heart on what he wants to achieve from the talks, indicating that he wants a permanent peace settlement rather than a ceasefire, echoing the sentiment of Mr Putin.
The Alaska summit was 'timely' and 'useful', Mr Putin said after he left.
Experts have warned the face-to-face summit has risked legitimising the Russian leader, who has been made a pariah by the international community for invading Ukraine.
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The Herald Scotland
12 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Ukraine needs long-term security guarantees, Taoiseach says
The call was convened by Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. I welcomed the opportunity to join other European leaders today to discuss developments on ending the war in Ukraine. We had a very useful engagement with President Zelenskyy as he prepares to meet with President Trump tomorrow in Washington. — Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 17, 2025 On Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky is meeting Donald Trump with several EU leaders, including Sir Keir, also travelling to Washington DC in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian president. Mr Martin, who will not be in Washington, said he had assured Mr Zelensky on Sunday that Ireland will 'continue to steadfastly support Ukraine'. EU leaders have agreed that sanctions and wider economic measures 'will be reinforced' if Russia continues its military action. The Taoiseach also said that he believes Ukraine needs 'long-term security guarantees'. Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of Russia's President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference in Alaska following their talks over Ukraine (Jae C Hong/AP) Speaking after Sunday's online conference, Mr Martin said: 'I welcomed the opportunity to join other European leaders today to discuss developments on ending the war in Ukraine. 'We had a very useful engagement with President Zelensky as he prepares to meet with President Trump tomorrow in Washington. 'I welcome the initiative by President Trump to seek the ending of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Ireland, together with our European partners, continues to contribute to these efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.' The meeting of European leaders follows the US president's summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Mr Martin said it is 'essential that Ukraine is a full participant' in any discussions regarding its future. He said: 'I therefore welcome that President Zelensky will meet with President Trump in Washington tomorrow, together with other European leaders. Mr Martin said he stressed that international law and principles of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity need to be respected for security in the region. 'It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force. 'I fully agree that Ukraine needs strong, credible, long-term security guarantees. This will mean sustained support from Europe, the United States and other partners. 'Ireland stands ready to play our part. Earlier this year we committed to providing non-lethal military support to Ukraine and we will look to do more. 'At today's meeting, I also reiterated Ireland's readiness to contribute to any peacekeeping force that is in line with the UN Charter.' French President Emmanuel Macron attending the video conference with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (Philippe Magoni/AP) The Taoiseach said Ireland will also continue to support Ukraine's EU membership ambitions, adding that Russia 'cannot have a veto' on the matter. 'Our joint efforts for peace should be combined with firm and co-ordinated pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire and engage seriously with negotiations on a just and lasting peace. 'We agreed today that sanctions and wider economic measures will be reinforced if Russia does not stop the killing. 'The human dimension and accountability must also be at the centre of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. 'Russia must urgently return Ukrainian children who they have abducted as well as prisoners of war and civilians being held unlawfully.'
Daily Mirror
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Vladimir Putin agrees to major Ukraine security guarantees during Donald Trump talks
Russian President reportedly backs US-EU deal offering Ukraine 'game-changing' security guarantees as Zelensky, Trump & EU leaders prep for crunch peace talks. Vladimir Putin has reportedly signed off on a dramatic peace deal which would see the US and Europe give Ukraine sweeping new security guarantees. Donald Trump's right-hand man Steve Witkoff confirmed the shock move, just minutes after the ex-President boasted of 'big progress on Russia'. In a stunning twist, Russia is even said to have made concessions on the five regions it illegally claimed – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea. Diplomatic insiders say Putin could accept a territorial swap to keep Donetsk and Luhansk in return for halting advances in the south. It comes after Putin warns of nuclear war after unleashing another night of hell on Ukraine. Witkoff said: 'We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing. The US could offer Article 5-style protection – one of the main reasons Ukraine wants NATO membership. We covered almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal.' The breakthrough comes on the eve of crunch talks in Washington between Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, with Sir Keir Starmer and a string of European heavyweights flying in to show support. Starmer will join Zelensky at the White House, with No10 insisting Britain's backing for Ukraine will remain 'for as long as it takes'. Also lining up alongside the Ukrainian leader are EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, French president Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz and NATO boss Mark Rutte, the Sun reports. Sources say Zelensky begged Europe's top brass to come with him as 'moral support and solidarity' ahead of the showdown with Trump. It will be Zelensky's first return to the Oval Office since his fiery bust-up with Trump and JD Vance earlier this year, when he was humiliatingly kicked out of the White House. The move piles pressure on Putin, who has been scrambling to claw back influence after his own peace summit with Trump in Alaska. But despite the frantic diplomacy, both Russia and Ukraine were still trading drone strikes today, underlining just how fragile the path to peace remains. Putin's deal reportedly goes beyond Ukraine's borders, with draft provisions suggesting Moscow would commit not to launch attacks against other European nations. In exchange, Kyiv would halt its NATO membership bid, formally recognise Crimea as Russian territory, and agree to a land swap involving Donetsk and Luhansk. Western diplomats told Reuters that the package also includes phased sanctions relief if Russia holds to the ceasefire.
Reuters
12 minutes ago
- Reuters
NATO-like protection in focus for Trump meeting with Ukraine, Europe
Aug 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump could offer NATO-like protection of Ukraine, and Russia is open to the idea, one of his top foreign policy officials said on Sunday ahead of a meeting with Ukraine and European leaders to hammer out details of possible security guarantees for Kyiv. "We were able to win the following concession, that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection," Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to Russia, told CNN's "State of the Union" program. "The United States could offer Article 5 protection, which was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that." Witkoff was referring to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which regards any attack against one of its 32 members as an attack on all. He suggested that a security guarantee of that scale could be offered to Ukraine in lieu of NATO membership, which Putin has ruled out. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been gradually advancing for months in the deadliest war in Europe for 80 years, Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who were both in the room when Trump met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, gave a series of TV interviews ahead of a Monday meeting in Washington with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and leaders of some European allies. 'We made some progress, we believe, and now we have to follow up on that progress," Rubio told CNN's "State of the Union" about the meeting with Putin. "Ultimately, where this should lead is to a meeting between the three leaders, between Zelenskiy, Putin and President Trump, where we can finalize, but we got to get this thing closer before we get to that point." Russian officials are opposed to Western troops in Ukraine, but have not ruled out a security guarantee for Kyiv. Speaking during a joint media appearance with Trump after their nearly three-hour long meeting, Putin said on Friday: "I agree with President Trump. He said today that Ukraine's security must be ensured by all means. Of course, we are ready to work on this." Witkoff told "Fox News Sunday" that Russia had also agreed to passing a law against taking any more of Ukraine by force. "The Russians agreed on enshrining legislatively language that would prevent them from - or that they would attest to not attempting to take any more land from Ukraine after a peace deal, where they would attest to not violating any European borders," he said. Any security guarantees offered to Zelenskiy could also include a commitment from the United States, Rubio told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures", an option that many of Trump's MAGA supporters have rejected up to now. "It would be a very big move by the president, if he were to offer a U.S. commitment to a security guarantee," Rubio said. "It tells you how badly he wants peace, how much he values peace, that he would be willing to make a concession like that ...That's what we'll talk about tomorrow." In a social media post, Trump wrote, "BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!" But he gave no details. Rubio said U.S. officials discussed security details for Ukraine with the national security advisers of multiple European countries on Saturday, adding that the aim would be to build in details that could ultimately be presented to Russia as part of a peace agreement. He told Fox News that the talks between Trump and Putin on Friday had narrowed the number of key issues, which include drawing borders and military alliances for Ukraine as well as security guarantees. "There's a lot of work that remains," Rubio added. According to sources, Trump and Putin discussed proposals for Russia to relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine ceding a swathe of fortified land in the east and freezing the front lines elsewhere. Rubio said Russia and Ukraine would not be able to get everything they want. 'If one side gets everything they want, that's not a peace deal. It's called surrender, and I don't think this is a war that's going to end anytime soon on the basis of surrender,' Rubio told CNN. In a separate interview on ABC, Rubio said if a deal could not be reached to end the war, existing U.S. sanctions on Russia would continue, and more could be added. When Zelenskiy visited the White House in February, the meeting ended in a shouting match. Rubio, speaking to CBS, dismissed the idea that the European leaders were coming to Washington to protect Zelenskiy. "They're not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelenskiy from being bullied. They're coming here tomorrow because we've been working with the Europeans," he said. "We invited them to come."
