Merz contradicts Trump White House summit disagrees on ceasefire for Ukraine
Zelensky and Trump spoke to journalists together.
Image: dpa
Several heads of state and government traveled to Washington with Zelenskyi.
Image: dpa
This time the reception for Ukrainian President Zelenskyi at the White House was friendly.
Image: dpa
The Chancellor arrives at the White House.
Image: dpa
US President Trump consults with Ukrainian President Zelensky and European heads of state and government on a peace solution for Ukraine
Image: dpa
Chancellor Merz speaks out in favor of a quick ceasefire in Washington
Image: dpa
Zelensky and Trump spoke to journalists together.
Image: dpa
Several heads of state and government traveled to Washington with Zelenskyi.
Image: dpa
This time the reception for Ukrainian President Zelenskyi at the White House was friendly.
Image: dpa
The Chancellor arrives at the White House.
Image: dpa
US President Trump consults with Ukrainian President Zelensky and European heads of state and government on a peace solution for Ukraine
Image: dpa
Chancellor Merz speaks out in favor of a quick ceasefire in Washington
Image: dpa
After Kremlin leader Putin in Alaska, US President Trump now meets Ukrainian President Zelensky. He has brought along support from Europe.
18.08.2025, 23:35
dpa
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- US President Donald Trump does not believe a ceasefire in Ukraine is necessary.
- German head of government Friedrich Merz, on the other hand, is focusing on the issue.
- Ukraine's European allies and the attacked country itself have been insisting on a ceasefire for some time.
At the Ukraine summit at the White House in Washington, differing assessments emerged, particularly regarding the need for a quick ceasefire in the country attacked by Russia. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insisted on this, while US President Donald Trump made it clear that he does not believe such a ceasefire is necessary. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the willingness of the USA to give his country security guarantees for the time after the war.
During the meeting at the White House, which lasted several hours, Trump and Selensky initially held bilateral talks. This was later continued in an expanded circle with Merz and other European heads of state and government as well as the heads of the EU and NATO.
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte also came to Washington.
Merz wants ceasefire before next round of peace talks
Trump had also originally called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. However, he abandoned this demand after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday in Alaska. Not so Chancellor Merz: "I can't imagine the next meeting taking place without a ceasefire," said the CDU chairman in Washington. "Let's work on it and try to put pressure on Russia."
Trump said during his meeting with Selenskyj that he liked the concept of a ceasefire because it would stop the killing of people immediately. "But we can work on a deal where we aim for a peace agreement." At a meeting with the Europeans at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, Selensky had previously emphasized: "Ukraine is ready for a real ceasefire and the establishment of a new security architecture."
Exact form of security guarantees still open
Trump sidestepped questions about the deployment of US troops in Ukraine following a peace agreement. He said that we might find out more about this later in the day. Trump also left a question about specific details on security guarantees for Ukraine unanswered. However, he assured: "We will give them very good protection, very good security."
Selensky described the security guarantees for his country as a priority for peace with Russia. "It is very important that the United States sends a strong signal and is ready for these security guarantees." In addition, security in Ukraine also depends on the European allies.
NATO Secretary General Rutte called it a major step that Trump had agreed to participate in security guarantees. "This really is a breakthrough, and that makes all the difference. Thank you for that too."
Security guarantees refer to measures to protect a country from attacks.
Russia does not want troops from NATO countries in Ukraine
Previously, a NATO-like promise of protection from the USA and European states to Ukraine was under discussion - which would ultimately mean military intervention in the event of an attack.
At the same time as the meeting in Washington, Russia once again rejected the deployment of troops from NATO states in Ukraine after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared his willingness to do so. In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Britain was continuing to seek an escalation in the conflict with such scenarios and was bringing the NATO members to a dangerous threshold from which a major global conflict was not far away.
Merz sees the way clear for peace in Ukraine
Chancellor Merz sees opportunities for an end to the war in Ukraine. "The way is clear." Addressing Trump and referring to the Alaska summit with Putin, he said that the US President had opened this path on Friday. However, Merz spoke of complicated negotiations that still lay ahead.
Trump receives Selensky in a friendly manner this time
In contrast to Zelensky's last visit to the White House in February, which resulted in a one-off scandal, Trump received him in a friendly manner this time. He greeted him at the door of the White House. The two shook hands and smiled together for the cameras. Trump briefly placed his hand on Zelensky's shoulder and then allowed him to enter the White House first.
The atmosphere remained harmonious during the first part of the bilateral meeting, during which journalists were able to ask questions. Fears on the European side that Zelenskyi could be shown up by Trump in a similar way to February were not fulfilled. Back then, the US President and his Vice President JD Vance had reprimanded Selensky in front of the cameras - who then left Washington early.
Trump increases pressure on Zelensky before meeting
Immediately before the meeting, Trump had increased the pressure on Zelensky. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he did not address Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin as the aggressor, but wrote: "Ukrainian President Zelensky can end the war with Russia almost immediately if he wants to, or he can keep fighting".
At the same time, the Republican also declared Ukraine's hoped-for accession to Nato and the return of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, to be unrealistic. "Some things never change!!!", he wrote. He pointed out that the then US President Barack Obama had not prevented the annexation of Crimea in 2014. He added in capital letters: "NO NATO ACCESSION OF UKRAINE."
Territorial issues - what will become of the Donbass?
Since the Alaska summit between Trump and Putin last Friday, there have been an increasing number of unconfirmed media reports that the US President sees the possibility of a quick peace agreement if Ukraine cedes the entire Donbass to Russia. This would also include strategically important areas that Russian forces have not yet been able to bring under their control.
In any case, cessions of territory, which Ukraine would then have to accept, have been discussed time and again recently. For example, Russia is demanding that Ukraine relinquish a large number of territories, which Zelensky categorically rejects.
Shortly before the meeting, the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea came into focus: Trump considers the return of the peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, to be unrealistic, as he made clear in his post on Truth Social. Selenskyj, on the other hand, wrote that Crimea should never have been given up.
Talks in Washington could pave the way for tripartite meeting
The US President is pursuing a plan to bring Putin and Zelensky directly to the table. Trump's meeting with the Ukrainian president could - if it goes well - be the decisive intermediate step in this direction. The aim is to bring an end to the Russian war of aggression, which Kremlin boss Putin ordered almost three and a half years ago. Trump sees himself in the role of mediator and peacemaker.
France's head of state Emmanuel Macron believes a tripartite meeting is crucial. "The idea of a trilateral meeting is very important because it is the only way to solve this," he said. A robust and long-lasting peace is needed. He believed that a quadripartite meeting would probably also be necessary as a result - with the participation of Europe.
