![\"Trump](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\/854920e1-a53c-48c4-b3c9-4e6f5bc063d7.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPresident Trump called Viktor Orban after European leaders lobbied him on Monday to use his influence on the Hungarian prime minister, according to reports.<\/p>\n
Orban, a longtime ally of President Putin, has frequently vowed to use Hungary\u2019s veto in the EU to block Ukraine\u2019s future accession to the bloc. <\/p>\n
Kyiv has sought EU membership as part of a broader package of security guarantees aimed at deterring further Russian aggression if a truce is reached.<\/p>\n
During the conversation, Orban expressed interest in hosting a meeting with Putin and Zelensky talks, according to Bloomberg.<\/p>\n
Zelensky: \u2018Europe has never been so united around Ukraine\u2019<\/p>\n
President Zelensky struck an optimistic tone after speaking with the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store, posting on X that \u201cEurope has never been so united around Ukraine\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian leader added: \u201cWe are now actively working at all levels on the specifics, on what the architecture of [security] guarantees will look like, with all members of the Coalition of the Willing, and very concretely with the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the major results of Washington talks. I am grateful to everyone who is helping.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erdogan speaks with Nato secretary-general<\/p>\n
The Turkish president, Tayyip Erdogan, and the Nato secretary-general, Mark Rutte, discussed feasible and sustainable security guarantees for Ukraine in a phone call on Tuesday, the Turkish administration said.<\/p>\n
Erdogan and Rutte discussed the latest developments on the peace process between Russia and Ukraine and agreed on close coordination as well as Turkey\u2019s contribution to the peace process, according to a statement by the Turkish presidency.<\/p>\n
Turkey has the second-largest army in Nato after the US. <\/p>\n
Putin is \u2018playing for time\u2019, says British diplomat<\/p>\n
Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the UK\u2019s former representative to the UN, has told Times Radio that Putin is \u201cplaying for time\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he wants to own the whole of the Donbas,\u201d he added, \u201cnot all of which he has yet conquered, and to keep his lines going in the other two provinces of eastern Ukraine where the Russian forces are present.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greenstock added: \u201cI haven\u2019t yet seen any intimation that President Putin is prepared to make the concessions that would lead to an agreement which President Zelensky could accept within the Ukrainian constitution.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo although the mood music out of the latest Washington meeting with all the Europeans there is better \u2026 I don\u2019t yet see the grounds for either a ceasefire or an end of conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zelensky gave Trump a golf club from Ukrainian soldier who lost a leg<\/p>\n
President Zelensky presented President Trump with a golf club during his visit to Washington on Monday.<\/p>\n
The golf club \u201chad been given to him by junior sergeant of the armed forces of Ukraine, Kostiantyn Kartavtsev\u201d, the Ukrainian president\u2019s office said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cVolodymyr Zelensky said that the warrior had lost a leg in the first months of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion while saving his brothers-in-arms,\u201d the statement added. \u201cGolf became part of Kostiantyn Kartavtsev\u2019s rehabilitation and helped him regain balance \u2014 both physical and emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Trump with the golf club presented to him by Zelensky on Monday<\/p>\n
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE\/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n
Zelensky also played a video to Trump of Kartavtsev appealing to the US president, requesting he help secure a \u201cjust and lasting peace\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cDonald Trump accepted the gift, recorded a video thanking the Ukrainian warrior for the golf club, and presented the president of Ukraine with symbolic keys to the White House,\u201d the president\u2019s office added.<\/p>\n
Putin \u2018must have known\u2019 Zelensky would reject Moscow meeting<\/p>\n
President Putin suggesting that Moscow should be the venue for a summit with President Zelensky has been seen by many as a possible way to shut down a bilateral meeting.<\/p>\n
Several commentators have pointed out that Putin must have known the offer would be rejected by Zelensky, not least because of the obvious security concerns linked to such a trip.<\/p>\n
Vadym Denysenko, a Ukrainian political analyst, offered insight into why Putin may have suggested a non-starter, explaining how Putin does not want to be seen as Zelensky\u2019s equal.<\/p>\n
\u201cA meeting with Zelensky would mean that one of the main \u2018trump cards\u2019 he pulled out of his sleeve at the right time, namely the thesis of Zelensky\u2019s illegitimacy, would be nullified,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
White House briefing does little to clarify details on security guarantees<\/p>\n
The White House press briefing has wrapped up, with little in the way of clarity regarding US security guarantees in Ukraine or a location for a Putin-Zelensky meeting.<\/p>\n
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, confirmed the US would not put boots on the ground in Ukraine, echoing President Trump\u2019s comments earlier today, while leaving the \u201cpossibility\u201d for US air support as a potential \u201coption\u201d.<\/p>\n
She refused to be drawn on what has appeared to be a change in position by Trump. He previously said a trilateral meeting with him, President Putin and President Zelensky would take place. Trump has now said, however, the leaders of the two warring countries should meet before a trilateral summit takes place \u2014 and only if the initial bilateral meeting is successful.<\/p>\n
Leavitt said Putin had \u201cagreed to begin the next phase of the peace process \u2014 a meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky \u2026 followed, if necessary, by a trilateral meeting\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ukraine security guarantees: four options for Europe and US<\/p>\n
Military chiefs are working to a ten-day deadline to draw up a realistic European security guarantee plan for Ukraine that would be backed by the United States (Larisa Brown writes). <\/p>\n
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, is on his way to the US for detailed talks about America\u2019s involvement. But how daring the Europeans will be is dependent on what America is willing to provide as a deterrent to President Putin. Washington fears that increasing European involvement could lead to a wider war.<\/p>\n
An ambitious plan to have a British and French-led force of tens of thousands protecting key cities, ports and infrastructure is deemed unlikely, and so too is a force near the front line.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Read in full: <\/b>Ukraine security guarantees: four options for Europe and US<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Budapest considered for Putin-Trump-Zelensky meeting<\/p>\n The White House is considering the Hungarian capital of Budapest as a venue for a possible trilateral meeting between President Trump, President Putin and President Zelensky, Politico reports, citing a Trump administration official and a person close to the administration.<\/p>\n Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, has refused to weigh in on the issue during her press briefing so far, only saying that \u201cmany options\u201d were being considered for venues.<\/p>\n Putin has agreed to meet Zelensky<\/p>\n Karoline Leavitt said President Putin agreed to a meeting with President Zelensky when the Russian leader spoke to President Trump on the phone on Monday.<\/p>\n The White House press secretary added that \u201caccommodations\u201d for that meeting are \u201cunder way\u201d.<\/p>\n She said \u201cboth leaders have expressed a willingness\u201d to meet.<\/p>\n Leavitt has so far deflected pertinent questions during Tuesday\u2019s press briefing on where a Putin-Zelensky meeting could take place and the specific security guarantees the US might provide Ukraine.<\/p>\n She said there is a \u201cpossibility\u201d the US could provide air power in future security guarantees after Trump said earlier in the day: \u201cWe will help by air.\u201d<\/p>\n No American boots on the ground, says White House<\/p>\n Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, has begun a press briefing by condemning Joe Biden\u2019s \u201cAmerica last\u201d policy, which she said had moved the world further away from peace.<\/p>\n She said the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on Friday was \u201cvery productive\u201d and that Trump\u2019s meeting in Washington on Monday with President Zelensky and European leaders proved there was now \u201cfinally light at the end of tunnel\u201d in Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine.<\/p>\n After several minutes lambasting the media\u2019s reporting of both meetings, Leavitt said she was setting \u201cthe record straight\u201d.<\/p>\n She echoed Trump\u2019s statement earlier that \u201cUS boots will not be on the ground\u201d in Ukraine, but said America could \u201chelp in the co-ordination\u201d of security guarantees with European allies.<\/p>\n Leavitt did not mention the use of US air power, which Trump has suggested could be used to maintain a peace deal.<\/p>\n Retired US general says Trump has a \u2018record of backing down\u2019 against Putin<\/p>\n Ben Hodges, the former commander of the US army in Europe, said he is sceptical about US security assurances.<\/p>\n Hodges told Times Radio his main source of doubt comes from President Trump, who he said \u201chas a well-developed record of backing down [and] not doing anything that threatens Putin in any meaningful way\u201d.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cI was impressed [on Monday] with the solidarity of the European leaders there at the White House. They were there, I think, in part to protect President Zelensky, but also, as President Macron said, this is not just about Ukrainian security, it\u2019s about European security.<\/p>\n \u201cIt still remains to be seen \u2026 especially if the United States is not a key part of it, will European countries step forward to protect themselves?\u201d<\/p>\n Military leaders of Nato countries to meet <\/p>\n The military leaders of all 32 Nato countries will meet on Wednesday to discuss the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich of the US Air Force, who oversees all Nato operations in Europe, will brief military chiefs on the meeting between President Trump and President Putin in Alaska last week.<\/p>\n Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the chairman of Nato\u2019s military committee, posted on X: \u201cTomorrow via video conference, I\u2019ll host a meeting of the chiefs of defence of the 32 allied nations.<\/p>\n \u201cAs diplomatic efforts to secure peace in Ukraine progress,\u200b looking forward to [Grynkewich\u2019s] update on the current security environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Ukrainians \u2018much happier\u2019 after White House meeting<\/p>\n Ukrainians are \u201cmuch happier\u201d after Monday\u2019s summit in Washington, the former Ukrainian ambassador to Nato has told Times Radio.<\/p>\n Vadym Prystaiko, who was also the Ukrainian ambassador to Britain from 2020-23, said: \u201cI don\u2019t believe that we have many reasons for that but in comparison to what we saw in Alaska, where the president of the United States couldn\u2019t stop himself from applauding [President] Putin stepping on the red carpet \u2014 that was a moment of depression.<\/p>\n \u201cNow when all the leaders were in the White House and there was a positive attitude \u2026 everybody\u2019s much happier.\u201d<\/p>\n He noted that Putin had yet to \u201cpromise anything\u201d, adding that the Kremlin was \u201cnot happy with the peacekeepers\u201d.<\/p>\n Mandelson: Zelensky must show \u2018flexibility\u2019<\/p>\n President Zelensky has got to show some \u201cflexibility\u201d in peace negotiations, Lord Mandelson has said.<\/p>\n Mandelson, the British ambassador to the US, appeared to suggest the Ukrainian president would have to accept some of Russia\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n However, Mandelson said Zelensky needed \u201ccast-iron\u201d security guarantees in order to make those concessions.<\/p>\n \u201cHe may go back to Kyiv and find he doesn\u2019t have the political support for the flexibility that he\u2019s got to show in order to help bring this to an end,\u201d Mandelson told Newsmax.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we\u2019ve got to continue making sure that what Zelensky can take back is cast-iron assurance, so that if he does show flexibility, Ukraine can be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n Rubio to lead \u2018security guarantee\u2019 plan for Ukraine<\/p>\n European, Ukrainian and American officials will work on a detailed proposal for security guarantees for Ukraine, led by Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, according to reports. The guarantees are thought likely to involve US air power.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the coming days everyone [is] going to be working from sunrise till dark on the security guarantees. Maybe by the end of the week, [we] will have some clear architecture,\u201d a Ukrainian official told the news website Axios.<\/p>\n During his meeting with President Trump, President Zelensky said he was willing to negotiate on territory, but only with President Putin directly, something Trump agreed to, Axios said. Trump is then thought to have passed this on to Putin, stressing his Russian counterpart must be \u201crealistic\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cTrump and Zelensky spoke in general terms about what was needed regarding security guarantees but didn\u2019t go into specifics,\u201d a Ukrainian official said.<\/p>\n Trump agreed with the European leaders to work together on \u201cArticle 5-like\u201d security guarantees, referring to Nato\u2019s collective defence clause, but when it came to a US role he was \u201cnot precise\u201d, a European official said.<\/p>\n Trump: Ending Ukraine war might get me into heaven<\/p>\n President Trump has expressed hope that ending the Russia-Ukraine war will help pave his way to heaven (David Charter and George Grylls write).<\/p>\n The prospect of winning a Nobel peace prize has long been on Trump\u2019s mind when he wades into international disputes, but he raised a different motivation in a Fox & Friends interview on Tuesday morning, his first since meeting President Zelensky and seven other western leaders in the White House.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to try and get to heaven if possible,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m hearing I\u2019m not doing well. I really hit the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Read in full: <\/b>Ending Ukraine war might get me into heaven<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n ICE deports Ukrainians from US<\/p>\n US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported a number of Ukrainian immigrants, for what is believed to be the first time since Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n ICE posted a picture on X showing what it says are \u201cUkrainian aliens\u2019 first moments back home following their removal from the United States\u201d.<\/p>\n Starting last Friday, thousands of Ukrainian refugees in the US began losing legal protections as their two-year status under a Joe Biden-era programme, Uniting for Ukraine, expired. Trump has not taken any action to renew the programme.<\/p>\n US and Turkey discuss Ukraine war<\/p>\n Turkey\u2019s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, and the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, discussed potential steps to end the Russia-Ukraine war in a phone call on Tuesday, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said.<\/p>\n The source said the two also discussed the outcomes of talks between the US and Russian presidents in Alaska and a meeting in Washington involving European leaders, Ukraine and the US.<\/p>\n Russian foreign minister praises Trump and criticises European leadersPutin suggested Moscow meeting with Zelensky<\/p>\n President Putin suggested holding a possible meeting with President Zelensky in Moscow, aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with a phone call between President Trump and the Russian leader.<\/p>\n \u201cPutin mentioned Moscow\u201d during their call on Monday, one of the sources told AFP, adding that Zelensky had said \u201cno\u201d in response.<\/p>\n Starmer asks European leaders to \u2018mute themselves\u2019Macron: We helped change Trump\u2019s view of Ukraine<\/p>\n President Macron has said he and other European leaders had succeeded in changing President Trump\u2019s view on Ukraine and Russia.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we have changed President Trump since he arrived in power in January,\u201d Macron said in an interview with Paris Match magazine. \u201cYou remember the time when he thought he would settle the conflict in 24 hours?<\/p>\n \u201cWe rose up, united as Europeans, and he took it into account. He also brought a fundamental asset dealing with Russia: his unpredictability.\u201d<\/p>\n President Putin is wary of Trump\u2019s unpredictability, Macron said. \u201cAs a good former KGB officer and fine psychologist, he tries to flatter Trump with all kinds of compliments. But Donald Trump has understood that Russia is not as simple as he thought. The big change in the past few days is that he has realised that Ukraine\u2019s security must be guaranteed.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump has moved peace talks \u2018a long way in a short time\u2019<\/p>\n A former British ambassador to Russia has said a potential peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia has \u201cmoved a long way in a remarkably short time\u201d thanks to President Trump.<\/p>\n Sir Tony Brenton, who was ambassador from 2004-08, told Times Radio: \u201cThere\u2019s the whole commentariat out there who really don\u2019t want Trump to succeed. They don\u2019t like him. They don\u2019t like the idea of getting on with Putin and all the rest \u2026 we\u2019ve started, from before the Alaska summit, with nobody talking very much to anyone. Putin is now in, although it\u2019s not clear how far in he is.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThere\u2019s lots of horrible details to be sorted out, but we\u2019ve moved a long way in a remarkably short time.\u201d<\/p>\n Brenton said two major obstructions have now been overcome: Russian insistence that they are not going to agree to any ceasefire without a clear peace agreement, and creating adequate security measures to protect Ukraine if Russia goes for them after a peace deal.<\/p>\n Europe will continue to arm Ukraine<\/p>\n European Union leaders will continue to arm Ukraine as the first line of defence in any future security guarantees and will use sanctions to step up the pressure on President Putin.<\/p>\n Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council, held a video conference call of EU leaders this afternoon to be briefed by President Macron of France; Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor; Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, and others on talks with Trump on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cNow is the time to accelerate our practical work, to put in place a guarantee similar to Nato\u2019s Article 5. With continued US engagement, the coalition of the willing should remain closely involved in this process,\u201d Costa said.<\/p>\n \u201cUkrainian armed forces will be the first line of defence. That is why we must enact, reinforce and unblock our military support to Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that \u201cwhether we call it a ceasefire or a truce\u201d is a secondary issue.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat matters is that we maintain pressure through sanctions. If Russia does not comply, more than ever, it is crucial to maintain strong pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n Melania Trump receives letter from Zelensky\u2019s wife<\/p>\n Melania Trump received a \u201cbeautiful\u201d letter from Olena Zelenska, the Ukrainian first lady, President Trump said.<\/p>\n President Zelensky presented the letter from his wife to the American first lady during his Oval Office meeting with Trump on Monday.<\/p>\n It came after Melania Trump wrote to President Putin about the suffering of children in war.<\/p>\n Asked about Olena Zelenska\u2019s letter, Trump said he had not opened it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was given to me sealed,\u201d he said. \u201cMelania told me it was absolutely a beautiful letter.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump: I will go to trilateral talks<\/p>\n President Trump has said he will attend a three-way summit with President Putin and President Zelensky, provided a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders \u201cworks out\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re setting up a meeting with Putin and Zelensky,\u201d he told Fox News.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re the ones that have to call the shots, we\u2019re 7,000 miles away.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe\u2019ll see what happens there. And then if that works out \u2026 I\u2019ll go to the trilat and close it up.\u201d<\/p>\n Putin doesn\u2019t want \u2018enemy\u2019 on border, says Trump<\/p>\n President Trump said he had everything \u201cworked out well\u201d when Ukraine was considered a \u201cbuffer\u201d between Russia and Europe.<\/p>\n The president said that Nato membership for Ukraine was \u201cimpossible\u201d because it was a \u201cno-no\u201d for Russia. He added that President Putin did not want an \u201cenemy\u201d on his border.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was always thought that Ukraine was a sort of a buffer between Russia and the rest of Europe,\u201d he told Fox News.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it was, it was a big, wide buffer. Everything worked out well until [President] Biden got involved.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Real sense of unity\u2019 for peace in Ukraine, says Starmer<\/p>\n Sir Keir Starmer told allies in the coalition of the willing that there was a \u201creal sense of unity\u201d and a \u201cshared goal\u201d of securing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.<\/p>\n Downing Street said: \u201cThe prime minister outlined that coalition of the willing planning teams would meet with their US counterparts in the coming days to further strengthen plans to deliver robust security guarantees and prepare for the deployment of a reassurance force if the hostilities ended.\u201d<\/p>\n The leaders discussed how further pressure, including through sanctions, could be placed on Putin until he showed he was ready to take serious action to end the war.<\/p>\n \u201cThe prime minister said he looked forward to updating the group again soon, as further work progressed in the coming days and weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n Britain to discuss \u2018robust\u2019 security guarantees<\/p>\n Britain and other allies will hold meetings with the United States in the coming days to discuss \u201crobust security guarantees\u201d in the event there is a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, Sir Keir Starmer has said.<\/p>\n The prime minister hosted a call with 30 leaders Tuesday morning as part of the \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d to discuss the deployment of a \u201creassurance force\u201d to Ukraine to cement any deal and deter President Putin.<\/p>\n The French president and the prime minister chaired virtual talks with leaders of the \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d<\/p>\n CHRISTOPHE SIMON\/AFP\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n The leaders also discussed putting \u201cfurther pressure\u201d on Putin with sanctions to encourage him to take \u201cserious action to end this legal invasion\u201d.<\/p>\n Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of defence staff, is set to travel to Washington Tuesday afternoon for discussions about the guarantees with his counterparts in the US.<\/p>\n Zelensky has to show flexibility, says Trump<\/p>\n President Trump said President Putin would face a \u201crough situation\u201d if he did not co-operate in the peace process, while President Zelensky had to \u201cshow some flexibility\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump restated that Ukraine would not be able to regain Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and would not be joining Nato as part of the peace deal.<\/p>\n Before a potential meeting with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, Trump told Fox News: \u201cI hope President Putin is going to be good and if he\u2019s not, that\u2019s going to be a rough situation.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I hope that Zelensky, President Zelensky, will do what he has to do. He has to show some flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Where is Spain\u2019s prime minister?<\/p>\n Among the European leaders who held a virtual meeting with President Trump last week to discuss the future of Ukraine, and those who were present in Washington on Monday to talk about a potential ceasefire, there was one notable absence: Spain\u2019s prime minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez.<\/p>\n The exclusion of the Socialist Party leader from the talks has been widely commented on in Spanish media, with centre-left daily El Pa\u00eds pointing out that while Spain was \u201cone of the great states of the EU, it is not so outside\u201d.<\/p>\n The newspaper added that S\u00e1nchez\u2019s relationship with Trump \u201ccould be better\u201d, after he was the only leader to publicly reject the Nato plan to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence, raising the American president\u2019s ire.<\/p>\n In its headline, the centre-right El Mundo said that S\u00e1nchez had \u201conce again been excluded\u201d from the virtual meeting.<\/p>\n Europe \u2018consumed far more\u2019 with Ukraine war<\/p>\n The United States could be willing to help Ukraine \u201cby air\u201d, President Trump suggested.<\/p>\n The President was asked on Fox News what leaders had said to him during their discussions in the Oval Office on Monday.<\/p>\n Trump said: \u201cThey\u2019re very good people. They\u2019re very good leaders of their countries and they want to get back to leading their country.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, they\u2019re consumed far more with this than we are, because they\u2019re right there.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThey\u2019re willing to put people on the ground \u2026 We\u2019re willing to help them with things, especially probably if you could talk about by air, because there\u2019s nobody [that] has the kind of stuff we have.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump: Putin may not want to make deal<\/p>\n President Trump said he hoped President Putin would move forward toward ending the war in Ukraine but conceded that it was possible the Russian leader did not want to agree a peace deal.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be a problem, to be honest with you. I think Putin is tired of it. I think they\u2019re all tired of it, but you never know,\u201d Trump told the Fox News talk show Fox and Friends.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks \u2026 It\u2019s possible that he doesn\u2019t want to make a deal,\u201d Trump said, adding that Putin faced a \u201crough situation\u201d if that were not the case.<\/p>\n Ukraine to \u2018get a lot of land\u2019, says Trump<\/p>\n \u201cUkraine is going to get a lot of land,\u201d President Trump has told the Fox and Friends talk show.<\/p>\n The American president added that Ukraine was seen as \u201ca buffer between Russia and Europe\u201d.<\/p>\n He reiterated there would be a \u201cform of security\u201d in Ukraine but that it could not be Nato.<\/p>\n Only a united West can thwart Putin\u2019s plans President Trump, centre, with President Zelensky to his left and other world leaders following a meeting at the White House to discuss the war<\/p>\n WIN MCNAMEE\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n Vladimir Putin\u2019s aides have been praising the Russian president for besting Donald Trump on home territory.<\/p>\n There is now, the Kremlin will be calculating, a sporting chance that Russia can win back the whole of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine through diplomacy, which it has struggled to capture in more than 40 months of combat.<\/p>\n Such a request would leave the heartland of Ukraine open to the invaders. The political survival of Volodymyr Zelensky would be placed in grave doubt.<\/p>\n Above all, Mr Putin could, by hook and by crook, establish that a significant chunk of Ukraine falls within his sphere of interest.<\/p>\n \u2022 Read The Times View<\/a> in full<\/p>\n Latvia: Russian-held territories \u2018may have to be recognised\u2019<\/p>\n Ukraine may have to concede to some of Russia\u2019s demands to achieve peace, the Latvian foreign minister has said.<\/p>\n Baiba Braze said that Ukraine\u2019s accession to Nato was \u201cnot really an issue at the moment\u201d in an interview with Latvian television.<\/p>\n She said that the \u201cde facto\u201d occupation of territories by Russia may need to be recognised at some point in the interest of peace, according to the LETA news agency.<\/p>\n However, Braze, the former Nato assistant secretary general for public diplomacy, stressed that Latvia would not recognise the occupied territories as part of Russia.<\/p>\n She also questioned whether both Ukraine and Russia wanted peace.<\/p>\n Putin granted ICC \u2018immunity\u2019 in Switzerland<\/p>\n Switzerland will offer \u201cimmunity\u201d to President Putin despite the war crimes warrant issued by the International Criminal Court on the condition that he comes for a peace summit.<\/p>\n Ignazio Cassis, the Swiss foreign minister, said the immunity for the Russian leader would be granted if he \u201ccomes for a peace conference, not for private reasons\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have clarified the legal situation. We could hold such a meeting and we know what needs to be done to ensure it goes smoothly,\u201d Cassis said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can do this despite the arrest warrant against Putin because of our special role and Geneva\u2019s role as the European headquarters of the United Nations.\u201d<\/p>\n The ICC issued the arrest warrant in March 2023 over the alleged war crime of the deportation and transfer of children from Ukraine.<\/p>\n Finnish president doubts Putin\u2019s \u2018commitment to process\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cPutin is rarely to be trusted,\u201d says Alexander Stubb<\/p>\n Europe \u2018may have to pay\u2019 for US arms for Ukraine<\/p>\n President Zelensky\u2019s suggestion that obtaining American security guarantees will require Kyiv buying $90 billion of US arms, an Italian analyst has said.<\/p>\n Andrea Margelletti, the head of the Centre for International Studies, said: \u201cThat is not a guarantee but a purchase, which European countries may have to pay for.<\/p>\n \u201cTrump wants to focus on China and can tell his electorate, \u2018I am out of Ukraine and making money.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n After months in which European Union officials had worked to build up Europe\u2019s arms production capability and had tried to convince EU states to buy European arms, he said, any pressure to spend EU cash on American equipment for Kyiv would horrify Brussels.<\/p>\n \u201cThe problem is that the US has weapons Ukraine needs which the EU cannot supply. For example, the European Aster missile is not on a par with the Patriot,\u201d Margelletti added.<\/p>\n \u2018War still inevitable in Europe\u2019 if Putin rearms<\/p>\n Amid the optimism after the White House meetings on Monday, one Italian analyst was resolutely negative about the prospects of peace, claiming \u201cwar is still inevitable in Europe\u201d.<\/p>\n Andrea Margelletti, the head of the Centre for International Studies, said that Putin would use a ceasefire in Ukraine to spend two years rearming for a future conflict on the continent.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now he is using in Ukraine what he produces, so peace gives him a chance to rearm,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Margelletti dismissed the chance of security guarantees halting another incursion in Ukraine. \u201cThe only guarantee is to send tens of thousands of European soldiers into Ukraine and I mean combat troops with rules of engagement, not peacekeepers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n What happened at the Trump-Zelensky meeting? President Zelensky and President Trump at the Oval Office<\/p>\n MANDEL NGAN\/AFP\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n Many questions on a future path to peace remain unanswered after the summit on Monday, with few concrete resolutions made despite a show of unity from all involved.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, the meeting represented a moment of progress in a conflict that has long been mired in diplomatic stalemate.<\/p>\n Here are five key takeaways from the President Trump\u2019s meetings with the leaders of Ukraine, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union and Nato.<\/p>\n \u2022 Read in full: <\/b>Five key takeaways from the White House visit<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Ukraine uncovers \u2018Russian intelligence cell\u2019<\/p>\n The Ukrainian security service and national police claim to have dismantled a Russian military intelligence network accused of directing air attacks on Kyiv and sabotage in southern Ukraine.<\/p>\n According to investigators, the cell consisted of four members: two direct agents, a \u201cliaison\u201d and the Russian GRU officer, Maksim Chachin.<\/p>\n The suspects face life imprisonment<\/p>\n SECURITY SERVICE OF UKRAINE<\/p>\n Investigators said a former professor at a top Kyiv university recruited one of her students, a 27-year-old resident, into direct contact with Russian forces before later introducing him to a 40-year-old former serviceman with knowledge of Ukrainian military locations. The former professor left for Russia in 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cTogether they visited the relevant locations, marked them on Google Maps and sent the information to their handler to prepare missile and drone attacks on Kyiv,\u201d the security service wrote on Telegram. Later the group moved to Odesa to lay low before receiving orders to set fire to two mobile communication towers and several power substations.<\/p>\n SECURITY SERVICE OF UKRAINE<\/p>\n \u201cThey also prepared to carry out bombings with improvised explosive devices, which the SBU [security service] prevented,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n Kyiv \u2018working with allies\u2019 on security guarantees THIERRY MONASSE\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n Kyiv is now working on the content of security guarantees that Ukraine is seeking from allies and the conversation will continue between leaders on Tuesday, President Zelensky has said.<\/p>\n \u201cNational security advisors are also in constant contact now. There will be security guarantees,\u201d Zelensky said.<\/p>\n Trump more constructive than Europeans, says Russian minister<\/p>\n The Russian foreign minister said that it was clear at the Alaska summit on Friday that President Trump and his team \u201csincerely\u201d wanted to achieve a long-term and sustainable peace in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Sergey Lavrov said that the atmosphere at the summit with President Putin was \u201cvery good\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was clear that the head of the United States and his team, firstly, sincerely want to achieve a result that will be long-term, sustainable, reliable,\u201d he told Russian state television.<\/p>\n Lavrov contrasted what he said was the constructive US position with that of Europe. Referring to the White House summit on Monday, he said: \u201cThe Europeans had \u2026 insisted at every turn only on a cease-fire and that after that they would continue to supply weapons to Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch: \u2018Unity between Europe and US\u2019, says PM<\/p>\n Sir Keir Starmer describes the White House meeting on Monday with Presidents Trump and Zelensky<\/p>\n Italy proposes Nato-style guarantees for Ukraine<\/p>\n After the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, took credit on Monday at the White House meeting for coming up with the idea of offering Ukraine Nato-style security guarantees, one of her key advisors has explained how Rome believes the plan can work.<\/p>\n The cabinet undersecretary, Giovanbattista Fazzolari, said that the guarantee would be based on an \u201cinternational deal between volunteering countries\u201d.<\/p>\n As opposed to Nato, the resulting alliance would not hold exercises or station troops in Ukraine, he said. \u201cThis would make it more acceptable to Putin,\u201d he said, according to Italian media.<\/p>\n Fazzolari added that Italy would not oppose French and British plans to deploy troops in Ukraine but would not take part itself.<\/p>\n Lithuania to fortify Baltic Defence Line border<\/p>\n Lithuania has outlined its plan to build a 30-mile array of defences along its borders with Russia and Belarus, including minefields, trenches and anti-tank ditches.<\/p>\n The fortifications are part of the Baltic Defence Line, which Lithuania and its neighbours Estonia and Latvia have begun constructing along more than 800 miles of their frontiers as a deterrent against a putative invasion.<\/p>\n The first layer will be about three miles deep, running from the existing metal border fences, through a ditch and a field of \u201cdragon\u2019s teeth\u201d anti-tank obstacles to a series of defensive positions for infantry.<\/p>\n It will also feature a strip mined with explosives after Lithuania and several other frontline Nato members announced their withdrawal from the international convention prohibiting the deployment of anti-personnel landmines.<\/p>\n Europe could lead \u2018reassurance force\u2019 in Ukraine<\/p>\n France, Britain and other European allies will lead a \u201creassurance\u201d force with \u201cseveral thousand\u201d boots on the ground in Ukraine, according to European sources.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\/dece59de-7727-40a4-8096-cbf356bf526d.jpg\")
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