European capitals have reacted to the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska with guarded optimism, praising the US President's efforts for peace while reiterating support for Kyiv as attention shifts to future diplomatic moves.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will travel to Washington on August 18 to meet with US President Donald Trump to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine.
It will be his first visit to Washington since the disastrous White House visit in February, which was cut short after a heated exchange in front of TV cameras.
Writing on Telegram on August 16, Zelenskyy said he had had a “lengthy, substantive conversation” with Trump about the August 15 summit between Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian president said he first had a one-on-one conversation with Trump before European leaders joined the call.
“I intend to discuss all details regarding ending the killings, ending the war, with President Trump in Washington on Monday. I am grateful for the invitation,” Zelenskyy said.
He expressed strong support for Trump’s proposal of a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia as a forum to discuss key issues at the leadership level.
Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine’s readiness to work productively toward peace and underscored the importance of involving European partners “at every stage” to guarantee Ukraine’s security alongside the United States.
Later on August 16, Trump weighed in on his call with Zelenskyy and European leaders with a post on Truth Social, writing: “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 Cease-fire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.”
He added that if "all works out" after he meets with Zelenskyy, "we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin."
Zelenskyy later called for more sanctions against Russia if no tripartite meeting takes place or "if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war."
European Reactions
After the call with Trump, EU leaders said in a statement that they "welcomed" the US president's efforts and expressed readiness to facilitate a trilateral summit.
"We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia's war economy until there is a just and lasting peace," they said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said talk of post-war security guarantees for Ukraine was one of the “most interesting developments” in the call with Trump.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a TV interview that the United States was willing to be part of such arrangements, without adding detail.
A statement by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said “President Trump’s efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.”
'Great Progress'
The highly anticipated summit between Trump and Putin ended without an agreement on a cease-fire in Ukraine, with neither leader taking questions from reporters during a brief news conference.
Briefly addressing the press after his nearly three-hour meeting with Putin, Trump said his team had made "great progress" but acknowledged that "we haven't quite got there" and that no deal was reached to halt the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.
“There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump warned.
Meanwhile, Russian drones and missiles battered cities across Ukraine overnight hours after the summit ended.
Ukrainian officials said Moscow launched 85 Shahed-type attack drones and one Iskander-M ballistic missile. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a strike on a residential area killed one person and wounded another.
Separately, the Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting 29 Ukrainian drones over six regions, including the Sea of Azov. The primary target of the drone attacks was the Azot chemical plant in Nevinnomyssk, according to local officials. The facility is a significant producer of chemical components used in the manufacture of explosives.
