Ukraine: Zelensky describes talks with Trump at the White House as "good" and "constructive."

by August 18, 2025

MADRID, 18 (EUROPA PRESS)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described his talks with his US counterpart Donald Trump at the White House on Monday as "good" and "constructive," insisting on security guarantees and the return of Ukrainian children.

"I think we had a very good conversation with Trump. Very good. It really was the best. Or, excuse me, maybe the best will be in the future. But it was very good," he said during a televised meeting with Trump and European leaders, in which each of them spoke to express their support for kyiv.

In this regard, he described it as a "constructive" and "specific" meeting, in which he discussed "very sensitive issues"—such as security, the prisoner exchange, and the return of Ukrainian children—and was briefed on the situation at the front.

"Ukraine's security depends on the United States and European leaders (...) We all want to end the war, stop Russia, and stop the war," Zelensky said during his speech, in which he asserted that they had "helped a lot" and that he was "happy with the great unity" shown during the day.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian president has said he hopes to reach agreements on "sensitive, territorial issues": "It's very important (...) and we will discuss them at the leadership level during a trilateral meeting," referring to a possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Trump will try to organize such a meeting. He said he will attend or not. Ukraine will be happy for him to participate," Zelensky said. Following these statements, the White House resident added that "if both countries want" his presence—Ukraine and Russia—he will be there.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who last week organized a virtual meeting with European leaders to support Kyiv ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, applauded the "very fruitful meeting" between Zelensky and the New York magnate in Washington.

"The next steps are the most complex. Now, the path is open. You opened it last Friday. But now the way is open for complex negotiations. And, to be honest, we would all like to see a ceasefire at the next meeting at the latest. I can't imagine the next meeting taking place without a ceasefire," he acknowledged.

In this regard, the German Prime Minister has called for "pressure on Russia," arguing that "the credibility of these efforts (...) depends at least on a ceasefire from the start of serious negotiations, starting with the next step."

For his part, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte took the opportunity to thank the US President for having "broken the deadlock" by initiating dialogue with Putin at the beginning of the year. "And since then, we are where we are today. And I believe that, if we play well, we can end this. And we have to end this," he said.

"We have to stop the deaths. We have to stop the destruction of Ukraine's infrastructure. It's a terrible war," he declared, before urging people to "make the most of this day" and "end this as soon as possible." While he reiterated his gratitude to Trump for his "leadership," he affirmed that "the fact that he has said he is willing to participate in security guarantees is a big step."

In fact, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called it "an important day, a new face after three years in which there was no sign from the Russian side of any willingness to engage in dialogue." "Something is changing, something has changed, thanks to you," she declared, addressing Trump.

Along the same lines, the head of state of Finland, Alexander Stubb, has emphasized that "in the last two weeks, there has been more progress towards ending this war than in the last three and a half years," and the head of the British Government, Keir Starmer, who has maintained that "today will be a very important day in recent years" in relation to this conflict: "Until now, no one had managed to reach this point," he stressed.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held the meeting with the aim of working together "for a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and to stop the deaths." "This is truly our common interest," she said, although she added that one of the priorities should be "ensuring that children return to Ukraine with their families."

However, French President Emmanuel Macron said that while "the idea of ​​a trilateral meeting is very important because it is the only way to resolve" the conflict, he called for a "quadrilateral" meeting to be held later because talking about security guarantees affects "the entire security of the European continent." "That is why we are united here with Ukraine on this issue," he added.

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