AUGUST 19, 2025 – At the White House yesterday, President Donald J. Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a host of European leaders to discuss how the ongoing violent war between Russia and Ukraine might be resolved. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also attended those meetings.
Two separate meetings were held at the White House: first, between Trump and Zelenskyy, and then a second meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy, NATO and European leaders, and the presidents of five NATO nations.
Trump said if talks go well, a trilateral discussion between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia is a possibility.
“I think if everything works out well today, we’ll have a trilat and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that,” Trump said. “And we want to get it ended. And we want it to end [well] for everybody … the people of Ukraine have suffered incredibly.”
Today’s talks come on the heels of the Aug. 15 meeting in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The Alaska summit reinforced my belief that while difficult, peace is within reach, and I believe that is 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, and we’re going to be considering that at the table,” Trump said.
The president said he is optimistic that between the U.S. and European partners, there would be an agreement to deter future aggression against Ukraine.
“I actually think there won’t be [future aggression against Ukraine],” he said. “But we’re going to find out, and I think that the European nations are going to take a lot of the burden. We’re going to help them, and we’re going to make it very secure.”
Trump also said that during the meetings, discussion topics would need to include what each nation is willing to give up to achieve peace.
“We … need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact — that means the war zone … to look at them and negotiating positions,” Trump said.
A top priority for the president is that the peace agreement be durable.
“We’re going to make sure that if there’s peace, the peace is going to stay long term,” Trump said. “This is very long term. We’re not talking about a two-year peace, and then we end up in this mess again. We’re going to make sure that everything’s good. We’ll work with Russia. We’re going to work with Ukraine. We’re going to make sure it works. And I think if we can get to peace, it’s going to work. I have no doubt about it.”
European leaders, Trump said, are interested in building a security protection deal for Ukraine, which the United States would assist with.
“When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help … they are the first line of defense, because they’re there — they’re Europe,” Trump said. “But we’re going to help them out also. We’ll be involved.”
In addition to the one-on-one discussion between Trump and Zelenskyy, the larger discussion included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The president said he’d spoken with Putin prior to today’s meetings and said he would speak to him again following the meetings.
“We’re going to have a phone call right after these meetings today, and we may or may not have a trilat,” Trump said. “If we don’t have a trilat, then the fighting continues. And if we do, we have a good chance, I think if we have a trilat, there’s a good chance of maybe ending [the war].”
Trump said he cannot predict when the war between Russia and Ukraine will end. However, he added, there is an appetite on both sides for it to come to an end.
“When it ends, I can’t tell you,” Trump said. “But the war is going to end. And this gentleman [Zelenskyy] wants it to end, and Vladimir Putin wants it to end. I think the whole world is tired of it, and we’re going to get it ended.”
How the war ends and what is agreed upon will rest on the shoulders of Ukrainians and Russians, Trump said.
“I have a feeling you [Zelenskyy] and President Putin are going to work something out,” Trump said. “Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made by President Zelenskyy and by the people of Ukraine working also together and in agreement with President Putin.”
The president said if the conditions are right and it’s possible to set up a meeting between the two leaders — which, he said, he is willing to attend — that “very good things are going to come of it.”
By C. Todd Lopez, DOD News