Putin and Trump in Alaska on August 15:
Last Friday, the presidents of the USA and Russia met for the first time since 2019 at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska.
The meeting lasted for almost three hours, without the presidents reaching any agreement on Ukraine. Donald Trump has described the meeting as both constructive and successful. He has also said that "it is now up to Zelenskyj".
After the meeting, the Russian president warned Ukraine and its allies, including the EU, against creating obstacles on the path to peace. He also claimed that Russia is genuinely interested in ending the conflict.
According to the US envoy Steve Witkoff, Vladimir Putin made some concessions regarding the release of invaded areas in Ukraine. Witkoff also claims that Putin, during the meeting with Trump, agreed to American security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a potential peace agreement. Russia has not commented on Witkoff's statements. Trump is said to have proposed a guarantee inspired by NATO's Article 5, which would allow Ukraine to receive help from its allies, including the USA, if the country is attacked by Russia again.
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Zelenskyj in meeting with von der Leyen on August 17:
On Sunday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj traveled to Brussels to meet with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
After the meeting, the two held a brief press conference where the EU's support for Zelenskyj and Ukraine was clear. Both von der Leyen and Zelenskyj stated that a peace agreement must include security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe.
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Video conference with the "coalition of the willing" on August 17:
The meeting was held digitally and took place on Sunday afternoon.
Among the participants were, among others, the French President Emmanuel Macron, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also participated in the video conference.
During the conference, the upcoming meeting between Trump and Zelenskyj was discussed. Topics that were raised included an immediate ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, as well as joint security guarantees.
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Summit in Washington on August 18:
On Monday, Donald Trump received Volodymyr Zelenskyj and several other European leaders at the White House.
Among the participants are the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the French President Emmanuel Macron, the Finnish President Alexander Stubb, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and NATO's Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Zelenskyj arrived in Washington DC at dawn on Monday morning local time. The other European leaders arrived later on Monday and gathered at the Ukrainian embassy before departing for the White House at 7 pm Swedish time.
Zelenskyj arrived a quarter of an hour later, was received by Donald Trump for a joint press conference in the Oval Office before they held a bilateral meeting. The atmosphere was good during the press conference.
The other European leaders gathered for a roundtable discussion at 9 pm, to then continue talks behind closed doors.
Security guarantees, a trilateral meeting with Trump, Zelenskyj, and Putin, as well as a ceasefire were central issues on the agenda.
