Trump to meet Zelenskyy on Monday for peace deal talks

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (August 16) said that he would host his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the Oval Office in Washington, D.C, on Monday afternoon, adding that the best way to end the Russia-Ukraine war was for both countries to enter directly into a peace deal rather than a ceasefire.

Trump, in a Truth Social post, further stated that if his meeting with Zelenskyy yields results, then he will schedule another meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, Trump’s meeting with Putin in Alaska ended inconclusively.

Also Read: After Alaska meeting, Putin, Trump may meet in Moscow next

Long phone call with Zelenskyy

The US stated that he had long, late-night phone calls with Zelenskyy, European leaders, including the Secretary General of NATO, adding that his meeting with Putin in Alaska was successful.

“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up. President Zelenskyy will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” said Trump.

“A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO,” he added.

Also Read: Putin-Trump meeting: What happened or what did not happen? 10 points

What Zelenskyy said

The US President’s statement comes within hours after Zelenskyy announced in post on X that he would meet Trump in Washington, D.C. to discuss the details of ending the war with Russia.

“On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation,” stated Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian President further stated that he had an hour-and-a-half-long call with Trump, adding that Ukraine reaffirmed its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace.

“Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace. President Trump informed about his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion. It is important that America’s strength has an impact on the development of the situation,” he said.

“We support President Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia. Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this,” added Zelenskyy.

Also Read: Trump-Putin Alaska meeting: Why it matters | Prof Swaran Singh explains

Security guarantee from US, Europe

Zelenskyy emphasised the importance of European countries’ involvement in the peace process with Russia.

“It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America. We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security. We continue to coordinate our positions with all partners. I thank everyone who is helping,” stated Zelenskyy.