Several of the leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Merz, tried to frame their goals as Trump’s own, portraying an immediate ceasefire and robust U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine as ideas endorsed by the White House. Trump, however, appeared to reject a ceasefire and was vague about what he would offer Ukraine to bolster its defense as part of any deal. Instead, he portrayed Putin as someone who is eager to halt the fighting.

“I don’t think there’s any issue that’s overly complex. It’s at a point now where people want to do things, I really do believe,” Trump said. “I’ve known [Putin] for a long time. I’ve always had a great relationship with him. I think that President Putin wants to find an answer, too.”

President Donald Trump pledged U.S. support for Ukraine during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 18 in Washington, D.C. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Tom Brenner/The Washington Post)
Trump at one point paused the East Room meeting and left the European leaders to speak for 40 minutes by phone to Putin, according to one person familiar with the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly about the sensitive closed-door conversations.

The US president posted on his Truth Social platform that today’s meeting in Washington was “a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years”.

He said vice-president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff were “coordinating with Russia and Ukraine”.

Trump said: Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/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.

The US president posted on his Truth Social platform that today’s meeting in Washington was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years