Washington summit paves way for possible Zelensky-Putin meeting
World leaders agreed in Washington on steps towards peace in Ukraine, with preparations underway for a potential summit between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin.
What you need to know
🔹 President Trump hosted Zelensky and European leaders for pivotal Ukraine peace talks.
🔹 Leaders agreed to draft Ukraine security guarantees within ten days for future protection.
🔹 Putin agreed in principle to meet Zelensky, with Geneva proposed as the summit location.
🔹 China cautiously endorsed peace efforts while Europe urged continued pressure on Moscow.
I n Washington on Monday, US President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alongside leading European figures, including Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen, for talks billed as the most significant on Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022.
The summit concluded with an announcement that Vladimir Putin had agreed in principle to meet Zelensky. The French president described the outcome as “actée”, while Trump confirmed preparations for the summit were beginning.
Zelensky hailed the result as “a significant step towards ending the war and ensuring Ukraine’s security”, while cautioning that details still needed to be negotiated.
— Zelensky meeting Trump in the Oval Office, 18-Aug-2025.
What was agreed in Washington
The leaders pledged to formalise concrete security guarantees for Ukraine within ten days. These guarantees, supported by both the United States and the European Union, are intended to shield Ukraine from future Russian aggression should a ceasefire or peace agreement take hold.
“We are already working on the concrete content of the security guarantees. Today, we continue coordination at the level of leaders. There will be discussions, and we are preparing the relevant formats. We will also continue working tomorrow. National security advisors are also in constant contact now. There will be security guarantees. We will do everything to make the path to peace a reality – through partnership, through security guarantees, and through the courage of the Ukrainian people,” Zelensky posted on X.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed to the BBC that London would join Washington and Brussels in shaping these arrangements, which he said would reassure populations “reassure people in Europe, in Ukraine, but particularly in the United Kingdom.”
President Trump meets with Ukraine's Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House. | YouTube/CNBC TV
A summit with Putin
Though the outlines remain vague, leaders indicated the summit could take place in a neutral European country. The French president argued for Geneva to host the meeting, pointing to Switzerland’s longstanding neutrality and recalling that the last direct talks between the two countries had occurred in Istanbul, back in 2022.
According to the German chancellor, the meeting could be convened “within two weeks”. Trump, for his part, described it as “historic” and insisted that preparations were already underway.
Behind closed doors, the US president was overheard telling Macron, “I think (Putin) wants to make a deal. I think he wants to make a deal for me,” raising questions about the Russian leader’s calculations and whether Moscow sees Trump as the key to unlocking negotiations.
European unity and Russian scepticism
Shortly after the Washington gathering, EU leaders convened online to coordinate their positions. European Council president António Costa stressed on X that Europe, together with the US, would “continue working towards a lasting peace that safeguards Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.”
Not everyone welcomed the development. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev posted on X, “The anti-Russian warmongering Coalition of the Willing failed to outplay (the US president) on his turf. Europe thanked & sucked up to him. The question is which tune the Kiev clown will play about guarantees and territories back home, once he’s put on his green military uniform again.” Meanwhile, Moscow itself has not yet confirmed the details of Putin’s potential participation.
— European Leaders meeting with Trump at the White House, 18-Aug-2025.
International reactions
China issued a rare endorsement of the talks, declaring it supported “all efforts for peace” and reaffirming that dialogue remained “the only viable path” to resolving the conflict.
Macron, however, remained very cautious. Speaking to French television LCI after the meeting, he described Russia as a “permanent destabilising force”, “a predator, an ogre at our door.” He warned that Europe must “maintain pressure on Moscow until peace is achieved.”
What comes next
Whether a Zelensky-Putin meeting can take place — and whether it can deliver meaningful progress — will hinge on territorial questions that have so far remained unresolved. German Chancellor Merz warned bluntly against Ukraine being forced into concessions: “The demand that Kyiv abandon free parts of the Donbass is like asking the United States to give up Florida.”
With billions in arms purchases under discussion and the war still raging, the road to peace remains uncertain. Yet for the first time in months, a direct dialogue between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia appears within reach.
GOING FURTHER
Trump, Zelenskyy, European leaders present united front on Ukraine in White House meeting | CBS NEWS
Zelensky says he is ready to meet Putin after Trump calls Russian leader | BBC NEWS
Trump says US will give Ukraine security guarantees - but Europe will 'take a lot of the burden' | SKY NEWS
Russia launches largest attack of August on Ukraine after Trump-Zelenskyy meeting | ABC NEWS
Sources:
▪ This piece was first published in Europeans TODAY on 19 August 2025.
▪ Cover: Office of the President of Ukraine. (Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.)
