On Sunday, it was disclosed they will be joined by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Archiv: 18-08-2025 Trump-Zelensky meeting in Washington
Trump says no NATO path or Crimea return for Ukraine as Zelensky comes to Washington for peace talks
Trump has stepped up pressure on Zelensky ahead of Aug. 18 peace talks in Washington with European leaders, saying on Truth Social that the Ukrainian president could end the war „almost immediately“ if he chose to or he could „continue to fight“ while making it clear that Ukraine would not be permitted to join NATO or reclaim Crimea from Russian control as part of any potential deal with Moscow.
Zelensky meanwhile cautioned that any new deal must prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from using concessions as a „springboard“ for another attack, citing Russia‘s seizure of Crimea in 2014.
Trump-Putin summit: Veteran diplomat explains why putting peace deal before ceasefire wouldn’t end Ukraine War
What I would look for after the Monday meetings is, does Trump stick to his guns post-Alaska and say, “No, we’re gonna have a big, comprehensive peace agreement, and land for peace is on the table.”
Or does he kind of swing back towards the European point of view and say, “I really think the first thing we got to have is a ceasefire”?
Even critics of Trump need to acknowledge that he’s never been a warmonger. He doesn’t like war. He thinks it’s too chaotic. He can’t control it. No telling what will happen at the other end of war. I think he sincerely wants for the shooting and the killing to stop above all else.
The way you do that is a ceasefire.