The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and several European leaders produced two main outcomes: plans for a future meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a project to help Ukraine buy $90 billion worth of American weapons with European financial support. The meeting took place on Monday, August 18, 2025, in the East Room of the White House. Attendees included UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-Gener

The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and several European leaders produced two main outcomes: plans for a future meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a project to help Ukraine buy $90 billion worth of American weapons with European financial support. The meeting took place on Monday, August 18, 2025, in the East Room of the White House. Attendees included UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The talks focused mainly on the war between Russia and Ukraine, now in its fourth year. The meeting came just three days after Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska. One key result was an agreement to hold a meeting between Zelensky and Putin within two weeks. Zelensky said Russia had proposed a bilateral meeting with Ukraine, followed by a trilateral meeting that would include the United States. He told reporters he was ready to meet Putin without preconditions, saying: “We must meet and think about what comes next in the journey to end this war.” Another major topic was long-term support for Ukraine’s security. Zelensky said discussions included a project allowing Ukraine to purchase $90 billion in American weapons with European funding. The plan also includes Ukraine producing small drones, some of which would be bought by the United States. Agreements could be signed within 10 days, though negotiations are still ongoing. “These matters are still under negotiation, and no agreements have yet been finalized,” Zelensky noted. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte clarified that issues such as Ukraine’s borders and Russian-occupied territories were not discussed, stressing that those would require direct talks between Zelensky, Trump, and Putin. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the meeting an important step forward, showing unity between the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine. After the talks, Trump phoned Putin to brief him on the discussions. The call lasted 40 minutes.

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