European leaders will join Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his crucial meeting with President Donald Trump, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday (August 17, 2025).
The move in relation to the key White House meeting on Monday (August 18, 2025) is an apparent effort to prevent a repeat of the heated encounter Mr. Zelenskyy faced when he met Mr. Trump in February.
Takeaways from Trump-Putin meeting: No agreement, no questions but lots of pomp
The European leaders’ presence at Mr. Zelenskyy’s side, demonstrating Europe’s support for Ukraine, could potentially help ease concerns in Kyiv and in other European capitals that Mr. Zelenskyy risks being railroaded into a peace deal that Trump says he wants to broker with Russia.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returns to the Oval Office on August 18, 2025 for the first time since a spectacularly tense exchange with Donald Trump saw their talks cut short and question marks raised over future U.S. support.
At the February 28 meeting, Mr. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance berated Zelensky on live television, accusing him of being ungrateful for US aid provided since Russia’s invasion three years prior, and pressing for quick negotiations to end the war.
The hostile confrontation marked a turning point in Kyiv-Washington relations, which had been warm under former president Joe Biden, and raised fears that Trump would cut off U.S. military support.
The scene quickly devolved at the end of a long question-and-answer session with the press.
Mr. Vance accused Mr. Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” and displaying ingratitude for Trump’s diplomatic efforts, after the Ukrainian leader expressed skepticism that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be trusted given his repeated violations of earlier agreements.
As Mr. Zelenskyy defended his position in his non-native English, Mr. Trump was enraged by the Ukrainian leader’s suggestion that while the United States was currently far from the fighting, “you will feel it in the future” if they appeased Mr. Putin.
“You don’t know that. You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” railed Trump, before adding: “You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now.”
As tempers flared, Mr. Vance demanded Mr. Zelenskyy thank the United States for the billions provided to Kyiv in military aid.
“Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” he asked. When Mr. Zelenskyy attempted to respond, he was silenced by Mr. Trump.
“No, no. You’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble,” said Mr. Trump, cutting Mr. Zelensky off.
The Ukrainian leader left the White House shortly after, without signing a mineral rights deal that was a key reason for his visit.
In the ensuing days, the United States temporarily cut off military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, heightening European fears that Trump would side with Putin in trying to end the conflict.
Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday (August 17, 2025) that Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump to allow the U.S. and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defence mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the three and a half year war.
“We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Mr. Witkoff said it was the first time he had heard Putin agree to that.
President Donald Trump failed to secure an agreement from Vladimir Putin on Friday (August 15, 2025) to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, falling short in his most significant move yet to stop the bloodshed, even after rolling out the red carpet for the man who started it.
“There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” the U.S. President said, after Mr. Putin claimed they had hammered out an “understanding” on Ukraine and warned Europe not to “torpedo the nascent progress.” Mr. Trump said he would call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders to brief them on the talks.
European leaders will join Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his crucial meeting with President Donald Trump, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday (August 17, 2025).
The move in relation to the key White House meeting on Monday (August 18, 2025) is an apparent effort to prevent a repeat of the heated encounter Mr. Zelenskyy faced when he met Mr. Trump in February.
U.S. President Donald Trump said late on Sunday (August 17, 2025) that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy could chose to end the war with Russia “almost immediately,” but retaking Russian-occupied Crimea or joining NATO are off the table.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said all sides seek a rapid end to the war, and called for lasting peace as he arrived in Washington on Sunday (August 17, 2025) night ahead of talks with the US president.
“We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably,” Mr. Zelenskyy posted on social media. He will meet Donald Trump on Monday (August 18, 2025) alongside a cohort of European leaders. — AFP