Trump says he has begun arrangements for Putin-Zelenskyy meeting; trilateral summit to follow

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are working on the logistics with Moscow and Kyiv, Trump said

In what could mark a potential diplomatic milestone, US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) announced he will facilitate face-to-face talks between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine in a bid to end the ongoing war.

Speaking after a high-level gathering at the White House with European leaders, NATO officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump announced that peace talks could be inching closer.

“I had a very good meeting with distinguished guests… which ended in a further meeting in the Oval Office,” Trump said on Truth Social. Among the leaders present at the White House were French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Trump said the meeting focused on security guarantees for Ukraine, to be provided by various European countries in coordination with Washington. “Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine,” he said.

He further stated that at the conclusion of the meetings, he dialled President Vladimir Putin directly and began arrangements for a meeting between the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine.

“At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy. After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself,” Trump wrote.

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are working on the logistics with Moscow and Kyiv, Trump said.

The talks between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House came close on the heels of the August 15, 2025, meeting in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump has promised that the US would be involved in providing security guarantees for Ukraine. The US leader said that there would be some form of security guarantees for Ukraine, but did not reveal whether this would involve US troops.

He said, "The Alaska Summit made me realise that while difficult, peace is within reach. In a significant development, President Putin agreed to accept security guarantees for Ukraine, a key point we must consider. We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact, that is, the war zone... We are going to try to get a three-party meeting with President Putin and President Zelenskyy, as soon as we can," he said.