Trump calls Zelenskiy, European leaders after Putin talks
US President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
US President Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a group of European leaders from Air Force One to brief them on his meeting with Vladimir Putin.
The European officials welcomed the US president’s diplomatic efforts while repeating their calls for a trilateral meeting between Trump, Russia’s president and Zelenskyy, according to people familiar with the discussion.Â
They reiterated that it will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory, and that the current line of contact must be the starting point of negotiations.
The leaders also reaffirmed during a call that lasted over an hour that Kyiv needs robust security guarantees to ensure that any peace deal holds and committed to continuing to provide Ukraine with military assistance.
The topic of holding a trilateral summit between Putin, Trump and Zelenskyy hasn’t been raised, Russia’s state TV channel Vesti reported, citing Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.Â
Trump and Putin each described their meeting in Alaska on Friday as productive, but the US president indicated that a path to end the war, well into its fourth year, had still not been finalized.
Some European officials are concerned that Trump will now pressure Zelenskyy to make territorial concessions to reach a deal, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity after the summit, Trump said that there were a few sticking points remaining after his discussion with Putin, even as he cautioned that the two had not reached a deal, and shifted his focus to Zelenskyy, saying it was up to him to resolve the war.
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Published on August 16, 2025
