U.S. President Donald Trump meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on August 18, 2025, to discuss next steps in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Image Credit: NDTV World
(The Post News)– U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European allies at the White House yesterday.
The meeting followed Trump and Russian President Putin’s Alaska summit last Friday, which ended without Russia agreeing to a ceasefire deal between them and Ukraine. Instead, the outcome was a new round of meetings starting with the one held on 18 August, with Ukraine at the table.
European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, continue to back Ukraine in seeking a solution to the war. After the meeting, Zelensky shared on his X account that they all have a tremendous desire to end the conflict fast and effectively—the peace must last.
Trump and the European leaders plan to achieve this outcome by first holding a peaceful bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky. If the discussions proceed well, the leaders will hold a trilateral meeting including Trump. This was a decision agreed on by the European leaders, Trump, Zelensky, and Putin, marking “real progress,” as Starmer noted.
Another outcome of the meeting and major headline was the U.S. pledging NATO-like “robust security guarantees” to Ukraine. This would essentially provide Ukraine with long-term defense commitments and inherent NATO allies without NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) membership.
The security guarantee will give Ukraine the power to discuss potential territorial exchanges at the negotiation table. At the Alaska summit, Putin conditioned—with Trump’s support—that Ukraine cede control of its Donetsk and Luhansk regions for a ceasefire.
The security guarantees empower Ukraine to discuss territory exchanges without fearing future Russian attacks. Under NATO’s Article 5, an attack on any of its 32 members is considered an attack on all. This makes it unlikely that Russia would risk conflict with the alliance.
At the meeting, Trump also noted that a ceasefire may not be immediately feasible or likely unless both parties agree. Meanwhile, he suggests that, at a minimum, both parties could settle on a peace deal. The European leaders remain hopeful and insistent on a ceasefire as the resolution to the conflict.
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