Trump’s meeting with European leaders has ended
We now have confirmation from the White House that Donald Trump’s talks with European leaders in the east room has concluded.
Key events
3m ago
Russian strategic bombers take off for possible attack on Ukraine, Ukraine’s Air Force says
5m ago
Zelenskyy to stay in DC for more talks as meeting ends – report
15m ago
Trump’s meeting with European leaders has ended
30m ago
The day so far
1h ago
Trump interrupts talks with European leaders to call Putin – report
1h ago
Sketch: All smoke and no fire as Zelenskky emerges unbruised after Trump meet
2h ago
Macron stresses leaders want peace and echoes need to push for a ceasefire
2h ago
Merz breaks with Trump to push for ceasefire ‘from the next meeting’
3h ago
Trump says he would prefer ceasefire, but ‘as of this moment, it’s not happening’
3h ago
Trump says Russia will accept security guarantees for Ukraine, but adds ‘possible exchanges of territory’ to be discussed
3h ago
Trump kicks off multilateral meeting with European leaders
3h ago
Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, round two – snap analysis
4h ago
‘We will give them very good protection,’ Trump says of Ukraine
4h ago
Trump to call Putin later today
4h ago
Ukraine needs ‘everything’ in support from US, says Zelenskyy
4h ago
Trump says ceasefire not necessary to negotiate an end to war
4h ago
Trump says he believes Putin wants Ukraine war to end
4h ago
US to ‘be involved’ in Ukraine’s security, says Trump
4h ago
Zelenskyy doesn’t say if he’s prepared to cede territory to Russia
5h ago
Zelenskyy thanks Trump for efforts to stop war
5h ago
Trump touts ‘very substantial progress’ in Putin talks
5h ago
Zelenskyy returns to White House for crucial talks with Trump alongside European allies
5h ago
We need ‘joint pressure’ on Russia to end war, Zelenskyy says, after ‘coordinating positions’ with allies ahead of White House talks
5h ago
First European leaders arrive at White House — in pictures
6h ago
European leaders expected at White House soon
6h ago
14 dead in overnight Russian attacks, authorities say
7h ago
Russia’s Putin calls leaders of Brazil, India, South Africa ahead of Zelenskyy’s DC visit
7h ago
EU27 to get debrief on Trump-Zelenskyy talks tomorrow
7h ago
First leaders seen in Washington ahead of crunch talks
7h ago
Poland set to miss summit amid conflict between president, government on foreign policy
8h ago
‘Russia can only be forced into peace through strength’, Zelenskyy says as he bids for Trump’s backing
8h ago
‘I’ll get it done, Trump says, as he insists ‘I know exactly what I’m doing’
8h ago
Trump rages against ‘fake news’ saying they wouldn’t credit him even if he got Russia to ‘surrender’ and hand over Moscow, St. Petersburg, and 1000 miles around them
8h ago
European leaders want to ‘flesh out details’ of security guarantees for Ukraine
9h ago
Ten dead in attacks ahead of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting
9h ago
Meloni sees ‘glimmer of hope’ from Trump-Putin talks, focuses on security guarantees
9h ago
‘We’ve got to get it right,’ Starmer says, as he pushes for ‘lasting, fair, just’ peace in Ukraine
10h ago
UK’s Starmer ready to back Ukraine peace deal without ceasefire as precondition
10h ago
Germany’s Merz finds silver lining in Trump’s Alaska summit, but commiting troops continues to divide politicians
11h ago
‘Moscow must hear: stop,’ Zelenskyy says, as he warns against rewarding Russia for war
12h ago
Hungary, Ukraine clash over criticism for attack on Russian oil pipeline
13h ago
Seven dead, 20 injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv
13h ago
17 injured in overnight Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia
14h ago
Trump’s tone on ending war likely to alarm Europeans ahead of talks — snap analysis
14h ago
Ceasefire, security guarantees to be discussed at White House, Finnish PM says
17h ago
Opening summary
Show key events only
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Russian strategic bombers take off for possible attack on Ukraine, Ukraine’s Air Force says
Ukraine’s Air Force said early on Tuesday (local time) that two Russian strategic bombers took off from Russian airfields for a possible attack on Ukraine.
“We will provide additional updates if the situation changes,” the Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app.
ShareZelenskyy to stay in DC for more talks as meeting ends – report
A spokesperson for Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told NBC News: “The meeting has ended, but European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are staying for now in DC to continue talks, potentially in another format.”
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen posted an image of the leaders alongside Donald Trump inside the White House with a message of unity and stressing the need for strong security guarantees for Ukraine.
We are here, as allies and friends, for peace in Ukraine and in Europe.
This is an important moment, as we continue to work on strong security guarantees for Ukraine and a lasting and durable peace. pic.twitter.com/FFF0Fqcq6y
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 18, 2025
ShareTrump’s meeting with European leaders has ended
We now have confirmation from the White House that Donald Trump’s talks with European leaders in the east room has concluded.
Reuters and AFP are also reporting that Donald Trump paused his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the other European leaders to call Vladimir Putin. Reuters cites an EU diplomat, while AFP cites an unnamed source close to the talks.
Updated at 17.35 EDT
The day so far
At the time of writing, Donald Trump has ruled out a ceasefire in Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European allies visited the White House to push for US-backed security guarantees as part of any long-term peace deal. The US president, who only last week warned Russia of “very severe consequences” if Vladimir Putin failed to agree to a halt the fighting, made clear today that he had reversed his position. Later, sitting with the other European leaders in the east room, he acknowledged: “All of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace. Maybe something like that could happen. As of this moment, it’s not happening.”
But some of the European allies refused to accept defeat on the ceasefire issue, mindful that the lack of one allows Putin more time to wage his war of aggression. Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, insisted that “we would all like to see a ceasefire” and he could not imagine the next meeting taking place without one. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, also backed the idea of a “truce” as a “necessity”, adding: “We all support this idea.” By way of strategy, the leaders led with praise and gratitude for Trump, and several notably mirrored his language (for example, saying they wanted to “stop the killing”) and stressing the importance of protecting Ukraine’s children, referencing his wife Melania’s letter sent over the weekend to Putin urging him to consider children impacted by the war.
Trump, though, was clearly swayed by Putin in Alaska and echoing his talking points. He said several times today that ending the war was “up to” both Zelenskyy and Putin (as opposed to just Putin, the invader). Ominously for Ukraine, Trump also added: “We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact – that means the war zone.”
But he said Putin had accepted there would be security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace deal and that the US would help guarantee Ukraine’s safety, which Kyiv has long said would be essential for a lasting peace. “When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” Trump said. He declined to rule out sending US troops to Ukraine, noting it would be a discussion point with European leaders. But he also made it clear that European countries would be expected to mostly carry the burden, saying: “They are a first line of defence because they’re there. But we’ll help them out.”
Several of the leaders emphasised the importance of the security guarantees to deter Russia from attacking again. Macron said: “The first one is clearly a credible Ukrainian army for the years and decades to come.” Europe was also clear about carrying its “fair share” of the burden, he said, “so you can count on this as we can continue”. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian PM, said: ‘We will talk about many important topics. The first one is security guarantees, how to be sure that it won’t happen again, which is the precondition of every kind of peace.”
Trump also expressed hope that the talks with Zelenskyy could lead to a trilateral meeting with Putin. “I think if everything works out well today we’ll have a [trilateral meeting], and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that.”
And in stark contrast to the infamously heated exchange during Zelenskyy’s first trip to Trump’s White House in February, the Ukrainian president’s charm offensive this time around – which included wearing a black military-style suit and presenting a letter from his wife, Olena Zelenska, for Melania Trump in response to her letter to Putin – seemed to pay off, allowing him to emerge unscathed. But the state of play for Ukraine coming out of today’s meetings remains to be seen, and we’ll bring you more as soon as we get it.
Updated at 17.25 EDT
Sources in the Ukrainian delegation at the White House have told the BBC that talks involving Trump, Zelenskyy and European leaders have ended. We’ll bring you more as we get it.
ShareTrump interrupts talks with European leaders to call Putin – report
Donald Trump has interrupted his talks in Washington with European leaders to call Vladimir Putin, German newspaper Bild is reporting.
Bild said the meetings are due to resume after the call, which Trump had initially said would take place afterwards.
ShareSketch: All smoke and no fire as Zelenskky emerges unbruised after Trump meet
Andrew Roth
If there was a sign that Volodymyr Zelenskyy wasn’t going to be immediately voted off the island of the Donald Trump diplomacy show, it came early on when a familiar voice commended his choice of attire.
“President Zelensky, you look fabulous in that suit,” said Brian Glenn, a pro-Trump pundit and member of the White House press corps, who had attacked him for wearing military fatigues during the infamous Oval Office meeting in February. “I said the same thing,” Trump added.
“You are in the same suit,” Zelenskyy shot back, earning smiles and laughter from the room including the US president. “I changed, you did not.”
‘I changed, you did not’: Zelenskyy jokes with reporter about suit – video
Thus did Zelenskyy survive his first media appearance at the White House with Trump on Monday as the US president focused less on belittling the leader of a wartime ally than boasting – and in many cases exaggerating – his exploits as a peacemaker in world conflicts.
Zelenskyy, dressed reluctantly in a black military-style suit to appease sticklers for protocol in the White House, largely sat by quietly as Trump claimed to have hammered out peace deals in six wars including one the veteran real estate developer said had taken place in the “Republic of the Condo”.
From Trump there was hyperbole about his ability to broker peace deals, digressions to internal US political battles over mail-in ballots, nebulous declarations about how he would end the conflict and evasions over how he would do that without negotiating a ceasefire.
But there were no explosions – which meant for Zelenskyy it probably went as well as it could have.
He found a far more hospitable welcome from both Trump and JD Vance, and he kicked off the meeting with some high-level flattery, thanking Trump profusely for his efforts to end the conflict and praising Melania Trump for sending a letter to Putin about abducted Ukrainian children.
There was little detail about the peace deal that Trump wanted to hammer out, except for the fact that he wanted to skip past a ceasefire – too difficult to actually negotiate – and go straight for a peace deal.
And yet it appeared that all – or at least most – sides were keen to smooth over their differences in order to prevent Ukraine as being seen as the main obstruction to peace and of throwing the ball back to Putin.
Share
Joanna Walters
What has Vladimir Putin been up to today during the great international assembly at the White House?
It appears to have been a drab day in Moscow all around, damp and grey and the Russian president hosting a meeting at the Kremlin with the acting governor of the Rostov region, Yury Slyusar.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with acting governor of the Rostov region Yuri Slyusar at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. Photograph: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/AP
One gripping regional media headline is: “Putin noted a decrease in the pace of agricultural production in the Rostov region.”
Putin and Slyusar at the Kremlin earlier today. Photograph: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/AP
Meanwhile the attacks and the killing in Ukraine go on.
A cyclist passes a building destroyed in bombings by Russian invading forces on August 17, 2025 in Bilozerske, Ukraine. Photograph: Pierre Crom/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.11 EDT
That’s the end of the public remarks from the meeting between Trump and the European leaders. As they continue talks through the afternoon, we’ll bring you more as we get it.
Updated at 15.40 EDT
The UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer echoes Macron’s sentiments that “we all want peace” and guaranteeing Ukraine’s security guarantees the security of Europe as a whole.
He adds that a trilateral meeting is “the sensible next step”.
Security guarantees and a trilateral meeting with Russia, Ukraine and the US would be a “historic” step forward, he says.
Updated at 16.45 EDT
Macron stresses leaders want peace and echoes need to push for a ceasefire
French president Emmanuel Macron, notably, opens his remarks by saying: “Everybody around this table is in favour of peace”.
Discussions of security guarantees are “about the whole security of the European continent”, he tells Trump.
He reiterates Merz’s comments about asking for a ceasefire “at least to stop the kiilling”, adding “we all support this idea”.
Security guarantees would involve a strong Ukrainian army for “years and decades to come”, and a commitment from all those around the table to build security, he says.
ShareMerz breaks with Trump to push for ceasefire ‘from the next meeting’
German chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasises that they would like to see a ceasefire. “To be honest, we all would like to see a ceasefire, the latest from the next meeting on,” he tells Trump.
He adds that he “can’t imagine” the trilateral meeting will take place without one, urging the US president to put pressure on Russia to get one.
Trump says “we’ll see … if we can do that” but, as he did earlier, highlights the “six wars|” he claims to have ended without a ceasefire.
Updated at 15.28 EDT