WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a coalition of European leaders at the White House on Monday, August 18, 2025, to advance negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year. The meetings, which include UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, follow an inconclusive summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.

“Big day at the White House tomorrow,” Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday evening. “Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!” The schedule includes a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy at 1 p.m. EST, followed by a welcome for European leaders at 2:15 p.m., a family photo at 2:30 p.m., and a multilateral discussion. The talks aim to address Russia’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire, Putin’s territorial demands, and potential security guarantees for Ukraine.

The Alaska summit, held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, failed to secure a ceasefire, a key demand of Ukraine and its allies. Trump had warned Putin of “very severe consequences” if he rejected a ceasefire, but post-summit, the U.S. president shifted his stance, advocating for a direct peace agreement. “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 Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on August 16, announcing Zelenskyy’s visit.

Territorial Demands and the Donbas Question

A major sticking point in negotiations is Putin’s demand for control over Ukraine’s Donbas region, comprising Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, where Moscow currently holds nearly all of Luhansk and about 70 percent of Donetsk. Two European sources told NYBudgets that Putin offered to freeze the frontline in Ukraine’s southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in exchange for Donbas control, a proposal Zelenskyy has firmly rejected. Putin, post-summit, emphasized addressing “root causes,” citing the protection of Russian-speaking populations in Crimea and southeast Ukraine as a justification for Russia’s invasion, a claim widely disputed internationally.

In a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Trump urged Zelenskyy to “make a deal,” suggesting in a Truth Social post that the Ukrainian leader could end the war “almost immediately” but referenced contentious issues like Crimea’s annexation in 2014 under President Barack Obama and Ukraine’s NATO aspirations. “No getting back Obama given Crimea … and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE,” Trump wrote, reflecting Putin’s opposition to NATO expansion.

Security Guarantees on the Table

A critical focus of Monday’s meetings will be security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump told reporters before the Alaska summit that the U.S. and Europe could offer guarantees short of NATO membership, a goal Ukraine has long pursued but Russia opposes. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, appearing on CNN’s State of the Union on August 17, revealed a significant concession: Putin agreed to allow the U.S. and European nations to provide Ukraine with “Article 5–like protection,” akin to NATO’s collective defense clause, where an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. “It was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that,” Witkoff said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking in Brussels on August 17, welcomed Trump’s openness to such guarantees, though Zelenskyy noted that specifics remain undefined. These guarantees, and the roles of the U.S. and Europe, will likely dominate discussions.

Diplomatic Dynamics and Past Tensions

The meeting comes after a strained February encounter between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House, which ended abruptly due to a heated exchange. This time, Zelenskyy is joined by European allies, including two leaders with recent ties to Trump. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who bonded with Trump over golf at Mar-a-Lago in March, discussed Ukraine and offered Finnish icebreakers, leveraging Finland’s expertise in their production. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who praised Trump’s leadership at a June NATO summit in The Hague, has also built rapport, though his description of Trump as a “daddy” resolving disputes drew criticism for being overly deferential.

The urgency of the talks is underscored by prior engagements. A virtual meeting before the Alaska summit, involving Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Zelenskyy, Merz, and other leaders, reaffirmed that peace talks require a ceasefire and respect for international borders, per a Ukrainian government statement. Posts on X, including one by Zelenskyy on August 16, emphasized Ukraine’s stance against ceding territory, highlighting the need for “reliable security guarantees.”

As Trump hosts this critical summit, the absence of a breakthrough in Alaska raises the stakes. The outcome could shape the trajectory of the deadliest European conflict since World War II, with millions of lives and global stability hanging in the balance.