Trump says working to arrange meeting between Putin and Zelensky
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Donald Trump says he has started arranging a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, followed by trilateral talks.
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US President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington. (AP)
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has begun working to arrange a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In a post on social media, Trump revealed he discussed the matter directly with Putin during a phone call, following talks with European leaders at the White House.
Plan for bilateral and trilateral talks
“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 Zelenskiy,” Trump wrote.
“After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two presidents plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a war that has been going on for almost four years.”
Trump did not provide a timeline for when either the bilateral or trilateral meetings would occur.
Security guarantees discussed
The US president added that his meetings with European leaders focused on possible security guarantees for Ukraine.
He said these guarantees “would be provided by the various European countries, with coordination from the United States.”
“Everyone is very happy about the possibility of peace for Russia/Ukraine,” Trump concluded.
"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..." - President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/avDo5j39F9
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 18, 2025
Earlier, Trump announced that Putin had agreed to accept security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a broader peace settlement.
"In a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine, and this is one of the key points that we need to consider," Trump stressed.
He added that European nations would bear much of the responsibility for implementing those guarantees, with US support to ensure Ukraine’s security.
It is worth noting that while Zelensky met privately with Trump, European leaders, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, followed the meeting on monitors before joining the session.
Trump downplays the risk of renewed aggression
Trump also expressed optimism about reaching an agreement, dismissing concerns about future Russian offensives.
"Collectively, we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine, and I actually think there won’t be. I think that’s largely overrated," he said.
He added that within "a week or two," it should be clear whether the war could be brought to an end or whether the fighting would continue.
