Zelensky to meet Trump in Washington Monday
4 Min Read
Zelensky says his talks with Trump will focus on concrete steps toward peace, following a long call that also involved key European and NATO leaders.
-
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured) following talks with European and US leaders in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025 (AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Saturday that he will travel to Washington on Monday to discuss “ending the killing and the war” with US President Donald Trump, who later confirmed, “President Zelensky will be coming to D.C., Oval Office, on Monday afternoon.”
The announcement followed Zelensky's call with Trump, during which the US leader outlined the “main points” of his recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
“On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war,” Zelensky said. “I am grateful for the invitation.”
The Ukrainian president said he had a “long and substantive conversation with Trump,” which began as a one-on-one discussion before European leaders joined.
The Washington meeting is scheduled three days after the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, which concluded without a ceasefire announcement or any apparent breakthrough to end Moscow’s three-year invasion.
Following the US-Russia summit, Zelensky urged Kiev’s European allies to remain involved “at every stage” of negotiations and reiterated his readiness for a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin, a format Kiev has advocated but the Kremlin has resisted.
“Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this,” Zelensky said.
Trump briefs Zelensky, European leaders on Putin talks
A European Commission spokesperson confirmed that Trump spoke early Saturday with Zelensky and European leaders to brief them on his summit with Putin.
Afterward, European leaders held a separate call to discuss next steps in the war in Ukraine.
Trump’s call lasted over an hour and included British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
According to the Ukrainian presidency, Trump first spoke privately with Zelensky before the other European leaders joined. The White House later confirmed the call.
European leaders hold follow-up call on Ukraine
A European Commission spokesperson said European leaders continued a separate call on Saturday regarding the US-Russia summit, following Trump’s initial briefing.
Participants included Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Macron, Merz, Starmer, and Rutte.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had a “lengthy call” with Zelensky while returning to Washington from the Alaska summit, which produced no ceasefire.
Trump also spoke with NATO leaders during the flight. He arrived in Washington at 2:45 am local time (0645 GMT) and did not answer reporters’ questions.
Alaska Summit restores high-level Russia-US talks
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that one key outcome of the Alaska summit was the restoration of a full-fledged mechanism for high-level meetings between Russia and the United States, conducted “without ultimatums or threats.”
Putin and US President Donald Trump met in Anchorage in a “three on three” format lasting two hours and 45 minutes. Representing Russia were Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and presidential aide Yury Ushakov, while the US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
“A full-fledged mechanism for meetings between Russia and the US at the highest level has been restored. Calm, without ultimatums or threats,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.
He added that the talks demonstrated that negotiations are possible without preconditions, even as Russia continues its special military operation.
Trump refrains from increasing pressure on Moscow
Medvedev also noted that US President Trump has so far refrained from escalating pressure on Russia following the Alaska talks.
“Following a nearly three-hour conversation, the head of the White House has refused to escalate pressure on Russia. At least for now,” Medvedev said on Telegram.
He added that Putin had personally outlined Russia’s conditions for ending the conflict in Ukraine in detail to Trump.
According to Medvedev, both Moscow and Washington have placed responsibility for the future outcomes of Ukraine-related negotiations on Kiev and European countries.
“The main thing is that both sides directly placed responsibility for achieving future results in the negotiations on ending hostilities on Kiev and Europe,” he stressed on Telegram.
Read next: 'Good thing' for US to get along with foreign leaders: Trump on Putin
