French President Macron signals Ukraine might need to give up territory for peace
European leaders will join the Ukrainian President in Washington to work together on the path toward peace talks, particularly on preventing any renewed Russian aggression
Ahead of a key meeting in Washington on Monday (August 18) between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a US official revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed at the Alaska summit with Trump that the United States and its European allies could provide Ukraine with security guarantees similar to NATO’s collective defence pledge as part of a potential deal to end the war.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, who took part in the talks Friday at a military base in Alaska, said it “was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that” and called it “game-changing.” “We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO," Witkoff told CNN's State of the Union.
Witkoff offered few details on how such an arrangement would work. But it appeared to be a major shift for Putin and could serve as a workaround to his deep-seated objection to Ukraine's potential NATO membership, a step that Kyiv has long sought.
Witkoff also said Russia had agreed to enact a law that it would not “go after any other European countries and violate their sovereignty.” “The Russians agreed on enshrining legislatively language that would prevent them from — or that they would attest to not attempting to take any more land from Ukraine after a peace deal, where they would attest to not violating any European borders," he said on Fox News Sunday.
It was expected to be a key topic Monday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and major European leaders meet with Trump at the White House to discuss ending the conflict.
“BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA,” Trump said on on social media on Sunday. “STAY TUNED!”
What needed to be hammered out at this week's talks were the contours of any security guarantees, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also participated in the summit. Ukraine and European allies have pushed the US to provide that backstop in any peace agreement to deter future attacks by Moscow.
(With agency inputs)
Also read:
Trump-Putin talks: Implications and what it means for peace in Ukraine
Trump-Putin Alaska Summit: Russian peace deal focuses on Donetsk, Luhansk in Ukraine
Trump-Putin Alaska meeting: Why it matters | Prof Swaran Singh explains
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Live Updates
- 18 Aug 2025 1:16 PM IST
Zelenskyy to face tough White House talks on territory: Expert
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky can expect a “difficult” meeting with US leader Donald Trump in the White House as the parameters of a peace deal are not all in Kyiv’s favor, an expert said.
“He’s been told in no uncertain terms by Trump… that he is going to have to accept that the territory that’s been lost is mostly lost for the long term,” Robert English, Director of Central European Studies at the University of Southern California, told CNN.
- 18 Aug 2025 12:26 PM IST
Macron suggests Ukraine may have to cede territory in future peace deal
French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested that Ukraine may need to recognise the loss of some territory in a potential peace agreement with Russia, sparking debate across Europe. As Macron meets with Zelensky, Trump, and other world leaders in Washington, questions are rising over what concessions Ukraine might have to make for lasting peace.
- 18 Aug 2025 12:02 PM IST
Russian strikes kill 8, injure 35 across Ukraine ahead of Zelenskyy-Trump meeting
At least eight civilians were killed and 35 injured in Russian strikes across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, regional authorities reported on Monday (August 18).
The attacks come hours before President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump and days after Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. While Trump claimed he and Putin "made some headway" in peace talks, the Alaska meeting ended without an agreement on ending the war or a commitment to a ceasefire.
- 18 Aug 2025 10:04 AM IST
Zelenskyy brings Europe's top leaders with him to meet Trump on ending Russia's war
Ukraine's future could hinge on a hastily assembled meeting Monday at the White House as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brings with him an extraordinary cadre of European leaders to show US President Donald Trump a united front against Russia.
The European heavyweights coming to Washington Planning to join Zelenskyy in America's capital are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The European political heavy-hitters were left out of Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, and they look to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow.
By arriving as a group, they hope to avoid any debacles like Zelenskyy's February meeting in the Oval Office, where Trump chastised him for not showing enough gratitude for American military aid.
The meeting also is a test of America's relationship with its closest allies after the European Union and United Kingdom accepted Trump's tariff hikes partly because they wanted his support on Ukraine.
Monday's showing is a sign both of the progress and the possible distress coming out of the Alaska meeting as many of Europe's leaders are descending on Washington with the explicit goal of protecting Ukraine's interests, a rare and sweeping show of diplomatic force.
- 18 Aug 2025 9:49 AM IST
Zelenskyy arrives in Washington for talks with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington DC on Sunday (local time) to meet US President Donald Trump, saying he desires to end the war with Russia “quickly and reliably.”
Taking to X, Zelensky said, “I have already arrived in Washington, tomorrow I am meeting with President Trump. Tomorrow we are also speaking with European leaders. I am grateful to @POTUS for the invitation. We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting. Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East—part of Donbas—and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack. Or when Ukraine was given so called “security guarantees” in 1994, but they didn't work."
- 18 Aug 2025 9:17 AM IST
Trump slams Chris Murphy, blames him and Bolton for hindering peace
US President Donald Trump criticized Senator Chris Murphy, calling him a “lightweight” and claiming he misrepresented the recent Putin meeting. Trump said the war could end now, but figures like Murphy and John Bolton are making it harder.
- 18 Aug 2025 9:09 AM IST
Trump to host European leaders at White House
US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that a big day is expected at the White House on Monday, with an unprecedented number of European leaders visiting, calling it a great honour to host them.
- 18 Aug 2025 7:56 AM IST
Trump suggests Zelenskyy could end Russia conflict quickly
US President Donald Trump said that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy could end the war with Russia almost immediately if he wanted to, but warned against Ukraine joining NATO.
- 18 Aug 2025 7:38 AM IST
European leaders to join Ukraine's Zelenskyy for meeting with Trump
European and NATO leaders announced Sunday they will join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington to present a united front in talks with President Donald Trump on ending Russia's war in Ukraine and firming up U.S. security guarantees now on the negotiating table.
Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Finland are rallying around the Ukrainian president after his exclusion from Trump's summit on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their pledge to be at Zelenskyy's side at the White House on Monday is an apparent effort to ensure the meeting goes better than the last one in February, when Trump berated Zelenskyy in a heated Oval Office encounter.
“The Europeans are very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated and so they want to support Mr. Zelenskyy to the hilt,” said retired French Gen. Dominique Trinquand, a former head of France's military mission at the United Nations.
“It's a power struggle and a position of strength that might work with Trump,” he said.
