Trump moves to broker direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy

US President Donald Trump has announced that he has begun making arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an attempt to chart a course towards ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The declaration came shortly after Trump spoke by phone with Putin on Monday, while hosting Zelenskyy and a group of European leadersat the White House. The talks centred on the president’s renewed push to end the war, which is now approaching its fourth year.

“I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Trump posted on social media after the White House discussions. He added that a subsequent trilateral session, involving both leaders and himself, would follow.

While it remains unclear whether Moscow has formally agreed to such a summit, Russian state media reported that Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed the two presidents had expressed support for continuing direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, and had discussed “raising the level” of future negotiations.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would look to Washington for action if Russia showed no willingness to engage. “If Russia does not demonstrate a will to meet, then we will ask the United States to act accordingly,” he said.

NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, who attended the White House summit, warned that further sanctions and tariffs could be imposed if Moscow refused to engage. “If Russia is not playing ball, the United States plus Europe will do more,” he told Fox News.

Trump pushes for trilateral summit with Putin and Zelenskyy as early as 22 Aug

Zelensky is a genius. He started his 1v1 meeting with Trump by thanking Melania Trump for sending Putin a letter asking for Ukraine's children to be returned. Zelensky then gave trump a letter for his wife from the First Lady of Ukraine.

Trump was pretty mild after that. pic.twitter.com/3qRmt2PlX1

— Jake Broe (@RealJakeBroe) August 18, 2025

Zelenskyy, who had previously insisted on a ceasefire before meeting Putin, said on Monday that setting preconditions risked giving Moscow an excuse to stall. “That’s why I believe we must meet without any conditions, and think about what development there can be of this path to the end of war,” he said.

Trump meanwhile suggested that disputed Ukrainian territories seized by Russia should be addressed directly in negotiations between the two leaders. “We’re going to let the president go over and talk to the president and we’ll see how that works out,” he said.

The US president also said he would support European-led security guarantees for Ukraine, involving NATO partners and EU member states, while stopping short of committing American troops. “They want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we’ll help them out with that,” Trump said. Zelenskyy responded that US participation was “crucial” to any credible arrangement.

The engagement marked a notably different tone from the pair’s last White House meeting in February, which collapsed amid tensions over American military aid to Kyiv. This time, Zelenskyy presented a letter from his wife, Olena Zelenska, for First Lady Melania Trump, while recalling the human cost of the conflict.

European leaders in attendance — including those from Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Finland, as well as the European Commission president — stressed the need for a ceasefire as a stepping stone to wider peace talks. German chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “I would like to see a ceasefire from the next meeting, which should be a trilateral meeting.”

Trump maintained that a comprehensive settlement was “very attainable,” though he conceded that “all of us would obviously prefer the immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace.”

With AP/PTI Inputs