{"id":7692,"date":"2025-08-18T18:40:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/7692\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T18:40:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:40:11","slug":"putin-expecting-call-from-trump-following-meeting-with-zelenskiy-and-european-leaders-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/7692\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin \u2018expecting\u2019 call from Trump following meeting with Zelenskiy and European leaders \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr Zelenskiy<\/a> and European leaders have arrived at the White House for meetings with Donald Trump<\/a> to map out a peace deal amid fears the US could try to pressure Kyiv into accepting a settlement favourable to Moscow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During a brief press conference in the Oval Office, the US president said \u201cvery substantial progress\u201d is being made in his talks with Putin.<\/p>\n

He said the Russian president is \u201cexpecting my call\u201d following talks with Zelenskiy and European leaders.<\/p>\n

Trump said he expects a trilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy to be held should Monday\u2019s meetings go well, saying there will be a \u201creasonable chance of ending the war when we do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland and Nato hope to shore up Zelenskiy<\/a> at a crucial diplomatic moment in the war and prevent any repetition of the bad-tempered Oval Office encounter between Trump and Ukraine\u2019s leader in February<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Key ReadsZelenskiy open to holding election if war ends<\/p>\n

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he is open to holding an election in safe circumstances if the war with Russia comes to an end.<\/p>\n

Elections in Ukraine are currently suspended under martial law.<\/p>\n

During a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, Zelenskiy said: \u201cWe need to work in parliament because during the war you can\u2019t have elections,\u201d adding that it needed to be possible for people to have a democratic, open, legal election. – Reuters<\/p>\n

Trump also praised Zelenskiy\u2019s suit after the Ukrainian president was previously criticised by parts of the US media for wearing military-style clothing at the White House in February.<\/p>\n

As the two addressed the media, a reporter said: \u201cPresident Zelenskiy, you look fabulous in that suit \u2026 you look good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The US president replied: \u201cI said the same thing\u201d before telling Zelenskiy: \u201cHe\u2019s the one who attacked you last time\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Ukrainian president laughed and replied: \u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reporter then apologised, to which Zelenskiy joked that the reporter was wearing the same suit as the last time he saw him. – PA<\/p>\n

\"Photograph:Photograph: Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

US president Donald Trump appeared to rule out arranging a ceasefire as part of plans to try and end the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Asked about the potential for a ceasefire in the conflict, he told reporters in the Oval Office: \u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019d need a ceasefire.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at the six deals that I settled this year, they were all at war \u2013 I didn\u2019t do any ceasefires.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand, strategically, one country or the other wouldn\u2019t want it. You have a ceasefire, and they rebuild and rebuild and rebuild and, you know, maybe they don\u2019t want that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the concept of a ceasefire for one reason, because you\u2019d stop killing people immediately, as opposed to in two weeks or one week, or whatever it takes,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we can work a deal, we\u2019re working on a peace deal while they\u2019re fighting.\u201d – PA<\/p>\n

\"Photograph:Photograph: Mandel Ngan\/AFP via Getty Images Putin \u2018expecting my call\u2019, says Trump<\/p>\n

Trump has said Putin is \u201cexpecting my call\u201d after meetings with Zelenskiy and European leaders on Monday.<\/p>\n

He said he had spoken to Putin indirectly prior to his meeting with Zelenskiy.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Trump said he expected to have a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskiy in the future should meetings go well.<\/p>\n

He added there will be a \u201creasonable chance of ending the war when we do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t have a trilat, then the fighting continues and if we do, we have a good chance, I think if we have a trilat, there\u2019s a good chance of maybe ending it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he\u2019s expecting my call when we\u2019re finished with this meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"UkrainianUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US president Donald Trump participate in a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House.
\nPhotograph: Mandel Ngan\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Asked by a reporter if he\u2019s prepared to agree to \u201credraw the maps\u201d, Zelenskiy highlighted Russia\u2019s attacks ahead of today\u2019s talks and emphasised the need to stop the war through diplomacy.<\/p>\n

Trump, who said he believes Putin wants the Ukraine war to end, added that he will work with Ukraine and Russia to ensure a peace that is long term.<\/p>\n

Asked if future security guarantees for Ukraine could involve US troops, he said there will be \u201ca lot of help\u201d when it comes to security.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re the first line of defence because they\u2019re there, Europe, but we\u2019re going to help them out also, we\u2019ll be involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr Zelenskiy has just entered the White House. <\/p>\n

He was greeted by Mr Trump on arrival before the pair shook hands and entered for talks. European leaders had been arriving for about an hour or so before Zelenskiy.<\/p>\n

\"DonaldDonald Trump greets Volodymyr Zelenskiy outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC. Photograph: Ting Shen\/Bloomberg <\/p>\n

Speaking inside the Oval Office, Trump said he believes \u201cvery substantial progress\u201d is being made in his talks with Putin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a possibility that something could come out of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Zelenskiy thanked Trump for his efforts to stop the the war. He also thanked Melania Trump for her letter to Putin telling him \u201cit is time\u201d to protect children and future generations around the globe.<\/p>\n

The US first lady penned a letter to the Russian president appealing for an end to the war.<\/p>\n

Prior to his meeting with Trump, Zelenskiy said Kyiv was seeking a \u201creliable and lasting peace\u201d in its war with Russia and that it was prepared to establish \u201ca new security architecture\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur main goal is a reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe. And it is important that the momentum of all our meetings lead to precisely this result,\u201d he said on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cUkraine is ready for a real truce and for establishing a new security architecture. We need peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

European leaders continue to arrive at the White House.<\/p>\n

\"FrenchFrench President Emmanuel Macron.
\nPhotograph: Mandel Ngan\/AFP via Getty Images \"ItalianItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
\nPhotograph: Mandel Ngan\/AFP via Getty Images \"BritishBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer is greeted by US Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley.
\nPhotograph: Mandel Ngan\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Territorial questions are certain to be a key area of focus when Zelenskiy and European leaders meet Trump for talks.<\/p>\n

Russia occupies around a fifth of Ukraine and the US president has said \u201cland-swapping\u201d and changes to territory will be crucial for any settlement. <\/p>\n

Two sources briefed on Russian thinking said on Saturday that Putin and Trump have discussed a proposal requiring Ukraine to fully withdraw troops from the Ukrainian-controlled parts of the eastern Donetsk region.<\/p>\n

Any changes to Ukraine\u2019s territory would have to be settled in Ukraine by a referendum, according to the country\u2019s constitution.<\/p>\n

Ukraine, like its European allies, strongly opposes the idea of legally recognising any Ukrainian territory as Russian. But it has tacitly acknowledged it will almost certainly have to accept some de facto territorial losses.<\/p>\n

Zelenskiy has said talks to end the war should take the current front line as their starting point and cannot begin by Kyiv having to withdraw its troops from parts of its own sovereign territory that Russia does not control.<\/p>\n

He has said he does not have a mandate to give away any of the country\u2019s territory, and that tracts of state land cannot be traded around as if they were his private property.<\/p>\n

Zelenskiy has also said that if Kyiv withdrew troops from the heavily fortified eastern Donetsk region, it would open up Ukraine to the threat of Russian advances deeper into less well-defended Ukrainian territory.<\/p>\n

Trump has publicly criticised Zelenskiy for saying he could not violate the constitution by agreeing to give away territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a little bothered by the fact that Zelenskiy was saying: \u2018Well, I have to get constitutional approval\u2019. I mean, he has got approval to go into war, kill everybody but he needs approval to do a land swap. Because there will be some land swapping going on\u201d, he told reporters earlier this month. \u2013 Reuters<\/p>\n

Mr Zelenskiy is due to meet Mr Trump at 6.15pm Irish time in the Oval Office. At 8pm, European leaders will join talks in the White House\u2019s East Room.<\/p>\n

The leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland and Nato along with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will take part in an effort map out a peace deal.<\/p>\n

\"EuropeanEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen arrives at the White House.
\nPhotograph: by Mandel Ngan\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

British prime minister Keir Starmer said there must be \u201clasting peace\u201d that is \u201cfair and just.\u201d<\/p>\n

US president Donald Trump, meanwhile, has said he is \u201conly here to stop\u201d the war in Ukraine, and \u201cnot to prosecute it any further.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would have NEVER happened if I was President. I know exactly what I\u2019m doing, and I don\u2019t need the advice of people who have been working on all of these conflicts for years, and were never able to do a thing to stop them,\u201d he said on his social media platform, Truth Social.<\/p>\n

Following a meeting with US special envoy on Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, earlier on Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskiy reiterated that Ukraine is working with \u201cmaximum effort to end the war and to ensure reliable security.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Zelenskiy added that two children were among those killed in Russian attacks on Monday, saying: \u201cPeople were simply sleeping when the Russian army launched strikes on the cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRussia can only be forced into peace through strength, and President Trump has that strength. We have to do everything right to make peace happen,\u201d he said on X.<\/p>\n

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has labelled Russia\u2019s attacks on Ukraine on Monday, which killed at least ten civilians, as an attempt to \u201chumiliate diplomatic efforts\u201d ahead of today\u2019s meeting in Washington DC.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a demonstrative and cynical Russian strike. They are aware that a meeting is taking place today in Washington that will address the end of the war,\u201d Mr Zelenskiy said on X.<\/p>\n

Both Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia were targeted on Monday, leaving dozens more injured.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPutin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts. That is precisely why we are seeking assistance to put an end to the killings. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why reliable security guarantees are required. That is why Russia should not be rewarded for its participation in this war. The war must be ended,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders have arrived at the White House for meetings with Donald Trump to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7693,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[9,10,356,13,14,6,11,12,15,16,5,550,7,8,2264,107,2263,2267,65,66,67],"class_list":{"0":"post-7692","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-featured-news","12":"tag-featurednews","13":"tag-headlines","14":"tag-latest-news","15":"tag-latestnews","16":"tag-main-news","17":"tag-mainnews","18":"tag-news","19":"tag-russia","20":"tag-top-stories","21":"tag-topstories","22":"tag-ukraine-crisis","23":"tag-us","24":"tag-vladimir-putin","25":"tag-volodymyr-zelenskiy","26":"tag-world","27":"tag-world-news","28":"tag-worldnews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}