Additional rounds of negotiation between Russia and Ukraine are likely in the coming weeks, but a comprehensive peace agreement will remain elusive as Moscow maintains maximalist demands, the United States avoids firm security commitments for Ukraine, and Kyiv resists territorial concessions absent stronger Western guarantees. On August 18, U.S. President Donald Trump met with his Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House to discuss the war in Ukraine. After a bilateral meeting, the two presidents held a larger meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. During this meeting, Trump said that the United States would give "lots of help" to protect Ukraine after the war, though Ukraine's European partners would carry most of the burden. Trump said after the...
