Putin-Zelenskyy meeting by August-end, Trump says 'arrangements' have begun

US President Donald Trump said Monday (August 18) that "arrangements" are underway for a face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing it as a “very good, early step” toward ending the nearly four-year conflict.

“I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Trump wrote on Trump Social.

He added that following the one-on-one, he expects to host a trilateral meeting with both leaders. “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself,” he said.

Speaking after a White House gathering with European leaders, NATO officials, and Ukraine’s president, Trump said peace talks may be progressing. “I had a very good meeting with distinguished guests which ended in a further meeting in the Oval Office,” he said on Truth Social, noting that discussions focused on security guarantees for Ukraine to be provided by European nations in coordination with Washington. “Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine,” he added.

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At the conclusion of the high-level meeting, Trump phoned Putin directly, pausing his discussions with European leaders and Zelenskyy.

Those present included French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Trump said Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are coordinating logistics with Moscow and Kyiv. “This was a very good, early step for a war that has been going on for almost four years,” he emphasised.

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Trump, Putin spoke for 40 minutes

The Kremlin said Putin warmly thanked Trump for the hospitality and progress made during their Alaska summit.

Russian news agencies cited a Kremlin aide confirming that the two leaders held a 40-minute phone call, during which they backed continued direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations. They also agreed to stay in close contact on the Ukraine crisis and other pressing global issues, signalling that Moscow and Washington intend to keep communication channels open.

Security guarantees for Ukraine

The US president meanwhile said he had discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, adding that Putin had agreed to them despite ruling out Kyiv’s long-held dream of joining the NATO alliance.

Trump said the guarantees “would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America.”

NATO chief Mark Rutte told reporters at the White House it was a “very successful meeting” with “the president really breaking the deadlock.”

“Today was really about security guarantees, the US getting more involved there, and all the details to be hammered out over the coming days,” he said.

Zelensky said allies would formalize Ukraine security guarantees within 10 days.

The presence of the European leaders however also underscored continuing nervousness about whether Trump will pivot towards Putin as he has on a number of occasions.

Trump had pushed Ukraine ahead of the meeting to give up Crimea and abandon its goal of joining NATO – both key demands made by Putin.

French President Emmanuel Macron called Monday for stepping up sanctions against Russia if Putin does not move forward on peace with Ukraine.

Finnish President Alex Stubb said Putin was not “to be trusted.”

Germany’s Merz meanwhile said Ukraine should not be forced to surrender its Donbass region to Russia in talks.

“The Russian demand that Kyiv give up the free parts of Donbass corresponds, to put it bluntly, to a proposal for the United States to have to give up Florida,” Merz told reporters.