Trump interrupts White House meeting to call Putin; Zelenskyy stays in DC for talks

Donald Trump hosted a meeting at the White House with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Keir Starmer, and other European leaders to discuss ending the war in Ukraine on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.

Sir Keir Starmer mentioned a "sense of unity" at the meeting and highlighted two key outcomes. Firstly, the confirmation that the coalition of 31 countries supporting Ukraine will collaborate with the US on security guarantees. Secondly, plans for a bilateral meeting between Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy followed by a trilateral meeting involving Trump were discussed.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the topic of troops in Ukraine was not discussed during the talks. Details on US security guarantees will be further discussed in the coming days. Finland's Alexander Stubb and Zelenskyy expressed readiness for meetings with Putin in various formats, with Zelenskyy stating that important signals on security guarantees were received from the US.

Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor, mentioned that Trump agreed to a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy within two weeks. He also expressed uncertainty about Putin's commitment to the process. Trump outlined plans for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, followed by a trilateral meeting involving himself. Progress was made during the meeting, but more information on security guarantees for Ukraine is awaited.

A Kremlin aide reported that Putin thanked Trump for the Alaska summit and both leaders supported continued direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. Trump confirmed discussions with Putin to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, followed by a trilateral meeting involving himself. This plan differed from earlier discussions where a trilateral meeting was suggested as the next step.