Washington Summit Wraps Up: No Breakthrough, Security Guarantees Discussed

A high-level meeting began in Washington between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, joined by leaders of several European countries, Orda.kz reports.

Among the participants were French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

The summit follows Donald Trump’s earlier meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, after which he said that further progress on Ukraine “depends on its president.”

The main agenda in Washington is Ukraine’s security and prospects for ending the war. Trump first held a bilateral discussion with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after which European leaders joined the talks.

Trump called it “an important day in the White House,” noting the unusually large number of European leaders gathered. Unlike the tense February meeting, this one began with compliments and thanks, including Trump praising Zelenskyy’s suit.

The U.S. president said support for Ukraine depends on the outcome of talks and hinted at a possible three-way meeting involving Russia if progress is made. 

Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine is not ready to surrender territory, while Trump stressed that the conflict must end but offered no timeline. He said the U.S. would play a key role in providing security guarantees to Ukraine, promising “a lot of help.”

Zelenskyy, for his part, said elections in Ukraine could only be held after a ceasefire.

Later, Trump joined Zelenskyy and the European leaders for a broader session. He emphasized that the decision on peace rests with Ukraine and confirmed that Moscow had signaled willingness to discuss security guarantees. According to him, it may become clear “in a week or two” whether a breakthrough is possible.

European leaders echoed calls for strong guarantees and unity:

• Ursula von der Leyen urged for commitments equivalent to NATO’s Article 5
• Friedrich Merz said a ceasefire should be in place before the next meeting
• Giorgia Meloni pledged Italy’s support for Ukraine’s unity
• Alexander Stubb noted Finland’s history with Russia and said a solution would be found in 2025
• Macron suggested a four-party format including European states

After about half an hour, the press was asked to leave, and negotiations continued behind closed doors.

During the meeting, Trump also placed a 40-minute phone call to Vladimir Putin, discussing the idea of raising the level of delegations in the Russia-Ukraine talks.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov confirmed that Moscow supported continuing negotiations and thanked Trump for the progress made in Alaska. Trump said preparations had begun for a direct Putin-Zelenskyy meeting, to be followed by a trilateral summit with U.S. participation.

At a briefing in Washington, Zelenskyy confirmed his readiness to meet Putin directly, saying territorial issues would be discussed at the leaders’ level.