Trump to Meet Zelenskyy in Washington Before Talks With EU and NATO Leaders

On August 18, U.S. President Donald Trump will first hold a one-on-one meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington, Orda.kz reports.

Only afterward will representatives of the EU and NATO join the negotiations.

The program includes a working dinner and extended multi-hour talks. Zelenskyy is accompanied by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Zelenskyy announced the visit on August 16. This is his first trip to the U.S. since a dispute with Trump in late February.

The Washington talks come shortly after the U.S.–Russia summit. One of the main topics is expected to be a possible peace settlement.

 According to reports, Vladimir Putin proposed “freezing” the front lines in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in exchange for Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donetsk. Moscow is allegedly prepared to consider handing back some occupied land but continues to demand recognition of Crimea, Ukrainian neutrality, and a special status for the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

Trump later declared that Zelenskyy could end the war “almost immediately” if he agreed to give up Crimea and abandon NATO membership. Writing on Truth Social, he stated:

Trump also teased a “big day” at the White House ahead of the meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders.

The bilateral U.S.–Ukraine meeting is scheduled to begin at 10:15 p.m. Astana time, with European leaders set to join around midnight.

Original Author: Rustam Muratov, second article