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Putin says "YES"/ Meeting with Zelensky within August, Macron: It should take place in Geneva, Merz: No territorial concessions
2025-08-19 12:29:00 / BOTA
Vladimir Putin says "yes" to a bilateral meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky. The face-to-face meeting between the two rivals will take place in August, at a yet-to-be-determined location, but French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested Geneva.
The meeting will be followed by another trilateral meeting with Donald Trump. "Preparations are underway," the US president said, referring to the summit between the two leaders. A historic meeting during which, Zelensky admitted, the issue of territories will be addressed, a topic that was not discussed during yesterday's meetings at the White House, despite Trump having talked for weeks about a territorial exchange.
The leaders' attention was focused on security guarantees, a point on which discussions will continue.
"We discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, guarantees that will be provided by several European countries, in coordination with the United States," Trump explained without going into details.
"We are evaluating guarantees in the style of NATO's Article 5," Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview with Fox, clarifying that there was no talk of a possible deployment of US troops. "We will work in the coming days, we need to discuss more details," he added.
"The West will formalize security guarantees for Ukraine within 10 days," Zelensky announced, hinting that negotiations will continue with intensity.
European leaders, including the Ukrainian president, spoke of a good and constructive meeting at the White House with Trump. The talks were "intensive," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, noting that no territorial concessions could be imposed on Kiev. However, Merz expressed appreciation for the US commitment to providing security guarantees.
Speaking of "progress," French President Emmanuel Macron nevertheless sounded cautious: "I doubt Putin wants peace," he said, calling for "increased sanctions" against Russia if negotiations fail.
The Kremlin leader "is not trustworthy," Finnish President Alexander Stubb said, stressing that Trump's phone call with the Kremlin leader in the middle of talks at the White House was a good idea. However, he added, it remains to be seen whether he will have the courage for such a meeting.
“There were important talks in Washington… an important step was taken, a real demonstration of unity between Europe and the United States,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram after meetings at the White House with US President Donald Trump and European leaders. The Ukrainian head of state reiterated that “security guarantees” are “a fundamental issue, as a starting point for ending the war.”
"The leaders came personally to support Ukraine and discuss everything that will bring us closer to real peace, to a reliable security architecture that will protect Ukraine and all of Europe. Our work continues, we continue to coordinate our actions with all allies who want to end the war with dignity. Thank you to everyone who helps us," Zelensky added.
Kiev authorities claim that Russia launched a wave of missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities last night, just hours after the end of peace talks between Zelensky and Trump. Explosions were reported in the central-eastern city of Kremenchuk, in the Poltava region. The target of the attack was energy infrastructure, according to local media. The Ukrainian Air Force said that cities near the front line, including Kharkiv and Poltava, were also under threat of missile attacks.
Moscow says its air defenses shot down 23 Ukrainian drones last night over the Russian regions of Volgograd and Rostov, as well as over Crimea.
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