The US president posted on his Truth Social platform<\/a> that today\u2019s meeting in Washington was \u201ca very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years\u201d.<\/p>\n He said vice-president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff were \u201ccoordinating with Russia and Ukraine\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump said:<\/p>\n Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia\/Ukraine. At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy. After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself.<\/p>\n Putin has previously resisted a one-on-one meeting with Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.51 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 40m ago<\/p>\n Zelenskyy says Ukraine security guarantees likely within 10 days<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1h ago<\/p>\n Zelenskyy says he is ready to meet Putin \u2013 report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Trump claims he is setting up meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Russian strategic bombers take off for possible attack on Ukraine, Ukraine’s Air Force says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Zelenskyy to stay in DC for more talks as meeting ends – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Trump’s meeting with European leaders has ended<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n The day so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Trump interrupts talks with European leaders to call Putin – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Sketch: All smoke and no fire as Zelenskky emerges unbruised after Trump meet<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Macron stresses leaders want peace and echoes need to push for a ceasefire<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Merz breaks with Trump to push for ceasefire ‘from the next meeting’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Trump says he would prefer ceasefire, but ‘as of this moment, it’s not happening’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Trump says Russia will accept security guarantees for Ukraine, but adds ‘possible exchanges of territory’ to be discussed<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Trump kicks off multilateral meeting with European leaders<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, round two – snap analysis<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n ‘We will give them very good protection,’ Trump says of Ukraine<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Trump to call Putin later today<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Ukraine needs ‘everything’ in support from US, says Zelenskyy<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Trump says ceasefire not necessary to negotiate an end to war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Trump says he believes Putin wants Ukraine war to end<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n US to ‘be involved’ in Ukraine’s security, says Trump<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Zelenskyy doesn’t say if he’s prepared to cede territory to Russia<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Zelenskyy thanks Trump for efforts to stop war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Trump touts ‘very substantial progress’ in Putin talks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Zelenskyy returns to White House for crucial talks with Trump alongside European allies<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n We need ‘joint pressure’ on Russia to end war, Zelenskyy says, after ‘coordinating positions’ with allies ahead of White House talks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n First European leaders arrive at White House \u2014 in pictures<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n European leaders expected at White House soon<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n 14 dead in overnight Russian attacks, authorities say<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Russia’s Putin calls leaders of Brazil, India, South Africa ahead of Zelenskyy’s DC visit<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n EU27 to get debrief on Trump-Zelenskyy talks tomorrow<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n First leaders seen in Washington ahead of crunch talks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n Poland set to miss summit amid conflict between president, government on foreign policy<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n ‘Russia can only be forced into peace through strength’, Zelenskyy says as he bids for Trump’s backing<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n ‘I’ll get it done, Trump says, as he insists ‘I know exactly what I’m doing’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n European leaders want to ‘flesh out details’ of security guarantees for Ukraine<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Ten dead in attacks ahead of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n Meloni sees ‘glimmer of hope’ from Trump-Putin talks, focuses on security guarantees<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n ‘We’ve got to get it right,’ Starmer says, as he pushes for ‘lasting, fair, just’ peace in Ukraine<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n UK’s Starmer ready to back Ukraine peace deal without ceasefire as precondition<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n Germany’s Merz finds silver lining in Trump’s Alaska summit, but commiting troops continues to divide politicians<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n ‘Moscow must hear: stop,’ Zelenskyy says, as he warns against rewarding Russia for war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Hungary, Ukraine clash over criticism for attack on Russian oil pipeline<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Seven dead, 20 injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n 17 injured in overnight Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Trump’s tone on ending war likely to alarm Europeans ahead of talks \u2014 snap analysis<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Ceasefire, security guarantees to be discussed at White House, Finnish PM says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Opening summary<\/p>\n <\/a>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n French president Emmanuel Macron has called for stepping up sanctions against Russia if Vladimir Putin does not move forward on peace with Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Trump believes we can get an agreement and believes that President Putin also wants a peace accord,\u201d Macron told reporters after the talks at the White House.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if at the end this process is met by refusal, we are also ready to say that we need to increase sanctions.\u201d<\/p>\n Macron pointed to recent secondary sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on India, which has emerged as a major buyer of Russian energy as western nations cut back due to sanctions following Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. Macron said the secondary sanctions on India had \u201chad a lot of effects\u201d, Agence France-Presse reports.<\/p>\n Over the weekend, Trump publicly again pressured Ukraine to concede territory, siding with Putin and not Zelensky, who has insisted on defending all territory which Russia has taken by force.<\/p>\n Asked by reporters if Trump had said that concessions were necessary before any US security guarantees to Ukraine, Macron said: \u201cNo, that wasn\u2019t discussed at all. We\u2019re well away from that.\u201d<\/p>\n Macron said he hoped Russia and Ukraine would resume contact \u201cin the coming days\u201d with a potential three-way summit involving Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy \u201cin two to three weeks\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n As Donald Trump<\/a> touted his bona fides as the so-called \u201cpeacemaker-in-chief\u201d during talks over Ukraine at the White House, he made two big claims: that he wants peace deals instead of ceasefires, and that he has ended six wars since he became president.<\/p>\n But as Andrew Roth<\/a> explains, in Trump\u2019s haste to hammer out a peace deal in Ukraine<\/a>, he is playing fast and loose with the truth.<\/p>\n Trump and his administration have claimed to have helped settle the conflicts between Israel and Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Cambodia and Thailand, India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, and Egypt and Ethiopia \u2026<\/p>\n On the subject of ceasefires, by Trump\u2019s own admission, he has often been seeking them in these conflicts. Now, he has sought to rewrite the record, piling pressure on Ukraine.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s declaration that he was not seeking a ceasefire in Ukraine came after last week\u2019s meeting Vladimir Putin in Alaska<\/a>, where the Russian president initially demanded that Ukraine cede control over territory in the country\u2019s southeast before negotiating a ceasefire.<\/p>\n The question is crucial to the sequencing of an eventual peace in Ukraine.<\/p>\n You can read Roth\u2019s full explainer here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.20 EDT<\/p>\n French president Emmanuel Macron says any future peace deal between Russia and Ukraine<\/a> cannot restrict the size of Kyiv\u2019s military.<\/p>\n Macron told reporters that Donald Trump and European leaders had agreed on the need for a \u201crobust Ukrainian army that can resist any attempted attack\u201d and that it would not have \u201cany limitation in number or capacity of arms\u201d.<\/p>\n Macron also said on Monday the White House talks did not discuss Ukrainian territorial concessions, AFP is reporting.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Zelenskyy says Ukraine security guarantees likely within 10 days<\/p>\n Volodymyr Zelenskyy is saying security guarantees for Kyiv will likely be worked out within the next 10 days.<\/p>\n \u201cSecurity guarantees will probably be \u2018unpacked\u2019 by our partners, and more and more details will emerge,\u201d the Ukrainian president said at a broadcast press briefing after his meetings in Washington DC.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of this will somehow be formalised on paper within the next week to ten days,\u201d he said on Tuesday, quoted by Reuters.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy also said territorial issues related to a potential peace agreement would be worked out between Ukraine<\/a> and Russia.<\/p>\n Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking near the White House after the meetings with Donald Trump and European leaders. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.04 EDT<\/p>\n German chancellor Friedrich Merz says Ukraine<\/a> should not be forced to surrender its Donbas region to Russia in talks, likening it to the US giving up a state.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Russian demand that Kyiv give up the free parts of Donbas corresponds, to put it bluntly, to a proposal for the United States to have to give up Florida,\u201d Merz told reporters after the White House talks on Monday.<\/p>\n Merz said Putin and Trump \u2013 in their call in the midst of the talks \u2013 \u201cagreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks\u201d.<\/p>\n Merz, quoted by Agence France-Presse, also said Trump voiced a readiness to offer security guarantees to Ukraine, even though the US president put the onus on Europeans.<\/p>\n German chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House meeting on Monday. Photograph: Aaron Schwartz\/PA<\/p>\n The German chancellor said:<\/p>\n The bottom line is that the United States of America is prepared to provide security guarantees and to coordinate this with the Europeans. There will be appropriate security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement.<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly ruled out Ukraine entering Nato, siding with Putin who has called the step a provocation.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.07 EDT<\/p>\n Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has said Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump<\/a> only discussed the \u201cidea\u201d of direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Monday\u2019s phone call.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s Tass news agency quoted the aide as saying Putin told Trump that he was open to the \u201cidea\u201d of direct talks with Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tass, cited by Agence France-Presse, quoted Ushakov as saying:<\/p>\n In the course of the further phone conversation, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump expressed support for the continuation of direct negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine.<\/p>\n In this regard, in particular, the idea was discussed that it would be necessary to study the possibility of raising the level of representatives of the Ukrainian and Russian sides, that is, those representatives who participate in the aforementioned direct negotiations.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.52 EDT<\/p>\n Zelenskyy says he is ready to meet Putin \u2013 report<\/p>\n Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is ready for a bilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, Agence France-Presse is reporting.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.33 EDT<\/p>\n Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he was ready to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> within a fortnight, German chancellor Friedrich Merz has told reporters.<\/p>\n Merz said that Putin and Trump \u2013 in their phone call in the midst of the White House talks \u2013 \u201cagreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks\u201d, Agence France-Presse reports.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.56 EDT<\/p>\n Finland\u2019s president has said the main agreement from the White House meeting was that the killing has to end.<\/p>\n Alexander Stubb said Donald Trump felt like it was a good idea to call Vladimir Putin and propose a bilateral meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin, adding that it remained to be seen if Putin had the courage to come to such a meeting, Reuters is reporting<\/p>\n Putin could not be trusted, Stubb also said.<\/p>\n It was reported earlier that Trump interrupted his White House talks with European leaders to make the call to the Russian president.<\/p>\n Finnish president Alexander Stubb at a press conference at Finland\u2019s embassy in Washington DC after the White House meeting. Photograph: Oliver Contreras\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.23 EDT<\/p>\n Donald Trump also said in his Truth Social post<\/a> that during today\u2019s Washington talks he and European leaders discussed security guarantees for Ukraine and \u201cwhich Guarantees would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America\u201d.<\/p>\n Earlier in the day, when asked if future security guarantees for Ukraine<\/a> could involve American troops, the US president didn\u2019t rule it out.<\/p>\n Trump said:<\/p>\n When it comes to security there\u2019s going to be a lot of help \u2026 They\u2019re the first line of defence because they\u2019re there, Europe<\/a>, but we\u2019re going to help them out also, we\u2019ll be involved.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.34 EDT<\/p>\n Six European leaders joined Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the Washington meeting with Donald Trump \u2013 here\u2019s what the scenes looked like.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump claims he is setting up meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin<\/p>\n Donald Trump has taken to social media to say arrangements are under way for a future meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> and Vladimir Putin and, later, a trilateral meeting between the two along with Trump.<\/p>\n The US president posted on his Truth Social platform<\/a> that today\u2019s meeting in Washington was \u201ca very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years\u201d.<\/p>\n He said vice-president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff were \u201ccoordinating with Russia and Ukraine\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump said:<\/p>\n Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia\/Ukraine. At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy. After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself.<\/p>\n Putin has previously resisted a one-on-one meeting with Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.51 EDT<\/p>\n That\u2019s all from me Lucy Campbell for today. My colleague Adam Fulton will be along shortly to steer you through the rest of the day\u2019s news.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The reporter who criticised Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> for not dressing formally enough during his last meeting with Donald Trump said the Ukrainian president looked \u2018fabulous\u2019 in his suit during their latest meeting at the White House \u2013 and our video colleagues have clipped the exchange here:<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s Air Force said early on Tuesday (local time) that two Russian strategic bombers took off from Russian airfields for a possible attack on Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will provide additional updates if the situation changes,\u201d the Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Zelenskyy to stay in DC for more talks as meeting ends – report<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told NBC News: \u201cThe meeting has ended, but European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> are staying for now in DC to continue talks, potentially in another format.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n We are here, as allies and friends, for peace in Ukraine and in Europe.<\/p>\n 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<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\u2018I](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1755564069_350_3671.jpg\")
\u2018I changed, you did not\u2019: Zelenskyy jokes with reporter about suit \u2013 video Share<\/a>Russian strategic bombers take off for possible attack on Ukraine, Ukraine’s Air Force says<\/p>\n