Trump and Zelensky’s meeting is over: what we know
18 August 22:28
Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump at the White House. According to CNN, the atmosphere during the meeting was much more friendly than six months ago, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
It is noted that the Ukrainian side made every effort to keep the talks from going off the rails.
Zelenskyy handed Trump a letter from his wife and praised US First Lady Melania Trump’s message about children suffering during the war. During his brief speech, the Ukrainian president said the word “thank you” four times, emphasizing Trump’s personal efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
“Thank you for the invitation and thank you very much for your efforts, your personal efforts to stop the killing and this war. I thank your wife for her support,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president wore a business suit, probably to emphasize the professional tone of the meeting and to match Trump’s style. The choice of clothing created a sense of ease and constructiveness.
The position of the American side
The US delegation refrained from commenting during the meeting. Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were in the Oval Office in a quiet mode, not interfering in the discussion.
Main topics of the meeting
Despite the lengthy negotiations, no specific details of the agreements have been disclosed. It is known that the following were discussed
- potential security guarantees for Ukraine;
- support for Ukraine from the United States and European partners;
- long-term plans to resolve the war and stabilize the situation.
Officials emphasized the constructive nature of the dialogue and their willingness to work together on future solutions.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy and Trump met with several European leaders who were waiting at the White House residence. These included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
