Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting: Live Updates
Trump Pursues Direct Talks with Putin and Zelenskyy, Signaling Potential Shift in Ukraine Strategy
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A Diplomatic Push for a Three-Way Summit
Following meetings with European leaders and ukrainian President volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday, August 18, 2025, former President Donald Trump announced he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and initiated arrangements for a potential meeting between the two leaders.Trump indicated his intention to join Putin and Zelenskyy for trilateral talks, a move that could dramatically alter the trajectory of the nearly four-year-long conflict in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump leads Ukraine’s President volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders thru the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, August 18, 2025.
Aaron Schwartz/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock
“I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” trump stated in a social media post. he characterized the initial contact as “a very good, early step” toward resolving the war.
Kremlin Response and Prior Attempts at Negotiation
The Kremlin confirmed the call, stating that both Trump and Putin expressed “support for the continuation of direct negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.” however, a statement from a top Putin aide indicated that the discussion focused on increasing the level of representation in existing bilateral talks, without explicitly mentioning a one-on-one meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
This latest growth follows previous, unsuccessful attempts by U.S. officials to broker a meeting between the two leaders. In May 2025,a high-level meeting hosted in Turkey failed to materialize as Putin sent a delegation of diplomats instead of attending in person. A subsequent attempt to coordinate a meeting at the Vatican also proved unsuccessful.
Throughout the conflict, the Kremlin has been accused of employing stall tactics to avoid direct engagement with Ukraine, frequently enough demanding preconditions for negotiations that have been repeatedly rejected by Kyiv and Western allies.
Zelenskyy’s Willingness to Engage
Despite past setbacks, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy reiterated his willingness to participate in a trilateral meeting with Putin, stating on Monday, “We are ready for the trilateral meeting.” This signals a continued openness from Kyiv to explore all diplomatic avenues for a peaceful resolution.