Meeting Overview

ómico Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on August 18, 2024, at 19:15 CEST. The meeting was followed by a press conference and later joined by several European leaders.

Attendees

Along with President Trump and President Zelenskyy, the following leaders participated in the discussions:

• Mark Rutte, NATO Chief
• Ursula von der Leyen, Chairman of the European Commission
• Alexander Stubb, Finnish President
• Emmanuel Macron, French President
• Giorgia Meloni, Italian Prime Minister
• Keir Starmer, British Prime minister
• Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor

Unexpected Call with Putin

According to Bild, trump unexpectedly interrupted the meeting to place a call to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This occurred despite prior statements indicating he would only engage with Putin following discussions with Zelenskyy and European allies. The reason for the call’s timing remains unclear, and the content of the conversation has not yet been disclosed.

Following the call, negotiations resumed without the presence of the European leaders, as reported by CNN.

Post-Meeting Expectations

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to issue a press release detailing the outcomes of the meeting. The British BBC anticipates that several of the participating statesmen will address the media following the conclusion of discussions.