Washington/Brussels — August 16, 2025 — Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday, amid mounting European pressure for security guarantees for Kyiv following his high-profile meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
#BREAKING 🚨| US President Donald Trump said he will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Oval Office in Washington on Monday, after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska ended without a breakthrough on Ukraine.
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— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) August 16, 2025
Trump revealed the invitation on Saturday, describing the White House discussions as a step toward a possible trilateral summit with Putin. He stressed that U.S. and European leaders had reached consensus on pursuing a comprehensive peace settlement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine directly, rather than relying on an interim ceasefire.
“A great and very successful day in Alaska,” Trump wrote on Truth Media, after holding a joint call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other European leaders. “It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement… and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.”
European capitals had initially urged Trump to secure a ceasefire from Putin during their Alaska talks. Instead, the three-hour meeting ended without such an outcome, though both sides described the encounter as constructive. Putin, wanted by the International Criminal Court over war crimes charges, welcomed the talks as a potential starting point for “restoring businesslike, pragmatic relations between Russia and the U.S.”
The summit sparked unease in Europe due to the absence of Ukrainian or EU representatives. However, Trump reassured allies ahead of the talks that he would press Putin on halting hostilities, warning of “severe consequences” if the Russian leader refused.
In a social media post, Zelenskyy confirmed he had held a “long, meaningful” call with Trump following the Alaska meeting, during which they discussed U.S. involvement in providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
European leaders including Macron, Merz, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa issued a joint statement backing Trump’s initiative. “Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement declared.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reaffirmed Kyiv’s stance of “peace through strength,” emphasizing continued military and financial pressure on Moscow while welcoming U.S. engagement. “Putin must understand the consequences of dragging out his war,” he said, adding that Ukraine will seize every opportunity “to end the war, save lives, and release our people.”
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