{"id":158960,"date":"2025-08-19T17:48:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T17:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/158960\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T17:48:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T17:48:18","slug":"russias-war-in-ukraine-many-obstacles-to-peace-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/158960\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia’s war in Ukraine: Many obstacles to peace remain"},"content":{"rendered":"

The second Oval Office meeting in six months between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went off smoothly Monday, in sharp contrast to their disastrous encounter<\/a> in February.<\/p>\n

European leaders joined the discussions in a show of transatlantic unity, and both they and Zelenskyy repeatedly thanked Trump<\/a> for his efforts to end Russia\u2019s three-year war on Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump meet with Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump meet with Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his expectations for the meeting \u201cwere not just met, they were exceeded,\u201d while Zelenskyy on Tuesday called the sit-down \u201can important step toward ending this war.\u201d<\/p>\n

But despite the guarded optimism and friendly banter among the leaders, there was little concrete progress on the main obstacles to peace<\/a> \u2014 and that deadlock likely favors Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces continue to make steady, if slow, progress on the ground in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

\u201cPutin cannot get enough champagne or whatever he\u2019s drinking,\u201d Gabrielius Landsbergis, a former foreign minister of Lithuania, said of Monday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n

As NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told The Ingraham Angle on Fox News: \u201cAll the details have to be hammered out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here is a look at the issues that must be resolved:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Ukrainian<\/p>\n

Ukrainian soldiers from air-defence unit of 59th brigade fire at Russian strike drones in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. (AP Photo\/Evgeniy Maloletka)<\/p>\n

Ukrainian soldiers from air-defence unit of 59th brigade fire at Russian strike drones in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. (AP Photo\/Evgeniy Maloletka)<\/p>\n

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Security guarantees for Ukraine<\/p>\n

To agree to a peace deal with Russia, Ukraine wants assurances that it can deter any future attacks by the Kremlin\u2019s forces.<\/p>\n

That means, Zelenskyy says, a strong Ukrainian army that is provided with weapons and training by Western partners. <\/p>\n

It could potentially also mean securing a guarantee resembling NATO\u2019s collective defense mandate<\/a>, which sees an attack on one member of the alliance as an attack on all. How that would work is not clear.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Kyiv\u2019s European allies are looking to set up a force<\/a> that could backstop any peace agreement in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

A coalition of 30 countries<\/a>, including European nations, Japan and Australia, have signed up to support the initiative, although the role that the U.S. might play in such a force is unclear.<\/p>\n

European leaders, fearing Moscow\u2019s territorial ambitions won\u2019t stop in Ukraine, are keen to lock America\u2019s military might into the plan.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Trump told Fox News Channel\u2019s \u201cFox & Friends\u201d that U.S. troops would not be sent<\/a> to help defend Ukraine against Russia.<\/p>\n

Russia has repeatedly said that it would not accept NATO troops in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired an online meeting Tuesday of the coalition countries.<\/p>\n

Agreeing on a ceasefire<\/p>\n

Ukraine and its European supporters have repeatedly called for a ceasefire while peace talks are held. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"European<\/p>\n

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, from left, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finland\u2019s President Alexander Stubb, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump, France\u2019s President Emmanuel Macron, Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Germany\u2019s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stand before a group photo in the Grand Foyer of the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, from left, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finland\u2019s President Alexander Stubb, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump, France\u2019s President Emmanuel Macron, Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Germany\u2019s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stand before a group photo in the Grand Foyer of the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

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Putin has balked at that prospect. With his forces inching forward in Ukraine, he has little incentive to freeze their movement.<\/p>\n

Ahead of his meeting with the Russian leader last week, Trump threatened Russia<\/a> with \u201csevere consequences\u201d if it didn\u2019t accept a ceasefire. Afterward, he dropped that demand and said it was best to focus on a comprehensive peace deal \u2014 an approach that Putin has pushed for.<\/p>\n

Trump said in Monday\u2019s Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy that a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was \u201cunnecessary.\u201d But after his closed-door meeting with European leaders and Zelenskyy, Trump told reporters that \u201call of us would obviously prefer the immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where Trump ultimately falls on that issue is important because it could affect how much Ukrainian land Russia has seized by the time the two sides get around to hammering out how much it could keep.<\/p>\n

Occupied Ukrainian territory<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy and European leaders said that Putin has demanded that Ukraine give up the Donbas, the country\u2019s industrial heartland made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. It has seen some of the most intense fighting of the war though Russian forces have failed to capture it completely.<\/p>\n

Moscow also illegally annexed Crimea and its forces hold parts of four other regions outside the Donbas. In all, they hold about one-fifth of Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy has long noted the Ukrainian Constitution prohibits breaking up his country. He has also suggested the demand for territory would serve as a springboard for a future Russian invasion.<\/p>\n

Rutte said the possibility of Ukraine ceding occupied territory to Russia in return for peace wasn\u2019t discussed in Monday\u2019s talks. That is an issue for Zelenskyy and Putin to consider, he said to Fox News.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump greets Russia\u2019s President Vladimir Putin Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump greets Russia\u2019s President Vladimir Putin Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

A Putin-Zelenskyy meeting<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy has repeatedly suggested sitting down with Putin, even challenging the Russian leader to meet him<\/a> as part of direct peace talks between the two sides in Turkey in May. Putin snubbed that offer, saying that significant progress on an agreement would have to be made before the pair met in person.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Trump appeared to back Zelenskyy\u2019s plan. \u201cI called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,\u201d Trump said in a social media post.<\/p>\n

He said he would join the two leaders afterward.<\/p>\n

But when discussing a phone call held after the meeting between Trump and the Russian leader, Putin\u2019s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov gave no indication that either a bilateral or a trilateral meeting with Ukraine had been agreed.<\/p>\n

European leaders know that Putin doesn\u2019t want to meet Zelenskyy and that he won\u2019t allow Western troops in Ukraine \u2014 but they\u2019re expressing optimism that these things could happen in the hopes of forcing Putin to be the one to say no to Trump, according to Janis Kluge of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. <\/p>\n

\u201cEuropeans hype up expectations to create a reality in which Putin disappoints,\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

This story has been updated to clarify the number of Ukrainian regions or parts of regions that Russia holds.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Sam McNeil in Brussels and Emma Burrows in London contributed.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Follow AP\u2019s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/russia-ukraine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The second Oval Office meeting in six months between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":158961,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[3881,69,8703,25821,57,92268,17723,8955,50,8961,80,257,3657,273,3660,67,132,68,274,3656,96,107,77429],"class_list":{"0":"post-158960","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"category-us","9":"tag-ap-top-news","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-emmanuel-macron","12":"tag-friedrich-merz","13":"tag-general-news","14":"tag-janis-kluge","15":"tag-keir-starmer","16":"tag-mark-rutte","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-north-atlantic-treaty-organization","19":"tag-politics","20":"tag-russia","21":"tag-russia-ukraine-war","22":"tag-ukraine","23":"tag-ukraine-government","24":"tag-united-states","25":"tag-unitedstates","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-vladimir-putin","28":"tag-volodymyr-zelenskyy","29":"tag-war-and-unrest","30":"tag-world-news","31":"tag-yuri-ushakov"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115056693229845150","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}