Washington: United States President Donald Trump has announced plans to convene a face-to-face summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marking his most ambitious effort yet to broker peace in the nearly four-year war.
The proposal was unveiled as Trump hosted Zelenskyy and key European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, at the White House for high-stakes talks on ending Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today, important negotiations took place in Washington. We discussed many issues with President Trump. It was a long and detailed conversation, including discussions about the situation on the battlefield and our steps to bring peace closer. There were also several meetings in a… pic.twitter.com/YqkdRlyKCI
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2025
Trump said he had begun arrangements for the summit following a phone call with Putin, adding that a trilateral meeting would take place after the two leaders hold direct talks. Trump stated that, “This was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.”
Trump confirmed that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were coordinating the efforts with Moscow and Kyiv.
The discussions in Washington centred heavily on security guarantees for Ukraine, though their exact nature remains uncertain. Trump stressed that European countries would serve as the ‘first line of defence,’ with Washington providing ‘a lot of help.’
While Trump has ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine, his envoy Witkoff suggested Putin may be open to guarantees resembling NATO’s collective defence principle under Article 5. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte welcomed the US commitment as a breakthrough though he cautioned that further talks were needed.
Zelenskyy said details of the guarantees would be formalised within 10 days, describing his talks with Trump as a very good conversation.
The question of territory emerged as another sticking point. Trump has already said Crimea’s return to Ukraine is off the table and hinted at potential land swaps. Secretary of State Rubio noted that concessions on borders would be part of that conversation, while acknowledging the difficulty of such decisions.
Zelenskyy, however, insisted territorial issues would be settled directly between him and Putin. Analysts warned that despite the positive atmosphere, major challenges remain. Konstantin Sonin, a Russian exile and policy expert, said any lasting peace would require robust European troop commitments, something Putin considers unacceptable.
Yurii Poita, a Kyiv-based analyst, called the talks a cautious success but underscored unresolved issues. As preparations for a potential summit continue, Ukraine and its allies are grappling with whether security guarantees will be strong enough to prevent a renewed Russian offensive and whether Moscow is serious about negotiating peace.
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