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Trump Starts Preparations for Putin–Zelensky Talks as Venue and Terms Remain Unsettled

European leaders moved to put written security guarantees for Ukraine on paper within days.

Le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky et le président américain Donald Trump se serrent la main lors d’une réunion dans le Bureau ovale de la Maison Blanche à Washington, le 18 août 2025.
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Autour de Donald Trump et Volodymyr Zelensky, Friedrich Merz, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Giorgia Meloni, Alexander Stubb, Mark Rutte et Ursula von der Leyen, à la Maison Blanche le 18 août 2025.

Overview

  • After hosting Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders, President Trump said he has begun arranging a Putin–Zelensky meeting, with allies indicating it could occur within weeks.
  • Vladimir Putin signaled openness in a call with Trump, but Zelensky rejected Moscow as a site and the location remains contested.
  • Switzerland and Austria said they could host despite the ICC warrant for Putin, Hungary is being explored by Washington, and Turkey and the Vatican are also under consideration.
  • Kyiv and European leaders reported an agreement to formalize security guarantees within about seven to ten days, with the United States coordinating and France stressing a robust Ukrainian army as a core element.
  • Key differences persist over a pre-talks ceasefire, no territorial concessions were discussed in Washington, and fighting continued with a Russian drone strike that killed seven people in Kharkiv.