The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 18 August that the Kremlin has not publicly confirmed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a planned bilateral meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a trilateral summit with US participation. ISW noted that Trump stated he had called Putin after the 18 August summit and began arranging such meetings, but Russian officials gave no direct confirmation.

According to ISW, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said that Putin and Trump “expressed support for the continuation of direct negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine” and mentioned the possibility of “raising the level of representatives of the Ukrainian and Russian sides.” ISW emphasized that this language did not amount to a commitment to leader-level meetings.

ISW also noted that Zelenskyy stated after the summit that he is ready to meet with Putin “without any conditions” and that it was Russia who first proposed a bilateral meeting, followed by a trilateral format with the United States. He said territorial matters would remain a subject “between [himself] and Putin.”

ISW: Security guarantees discussed, US role remains unclear

During the 18 August summit, Trump and Zelenskyy met at the White House before joining talks with European leaders, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian President Giorgia Meloni, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. According to ISW, the leaders emphasized the importance of security guarantees to ensure a lasting peace and deter future Russian aggression.

ISW noted that von der Leyen, Meloni, and Starmer expressed support for guarantees modeled after NATO’s Article 5. Trump stated that the United States would support these guarantees in a coordination role, while “various European countries” would provide the main commitments. This was echoed in Trump’s readout posted on Truth Social.

Zelenskyy said in a joint press conference with Trump that Ukraine needs not only guarantees from partners but also continued access to weapons, training, and intelligence. Zelenskyy added that Ukraine and its European allies have launched a program to purchase weapons from the United States, and that a strong Ukrainian military is itself a security guarantee.

Financial Times: Ukraine proposed US arms and drone deals tied to guarantees

The Financial Times (FT) reported on 18 August that Ukraine offered to purchase $100 billion worth of US weapons, financed by European partners, in exchange for American security guarantees. FT stated that the document it obtained did not specify which weapons were involved.

FT also reported that Ukraine proposed a $50 billion plan to manufacture drones through Ukrainian companies, but the share of procurement versus investment was not defined. FT cited four people familiar with the matter and noted these proposals were included in Ukraine’s talking points shared with European leaders ahead of the summit.

Russia rejects NATO troop involvement in peace process

According to ISW, Trump stated during the 18 August summit that Putin had earlier expressed openness to security guarantees for Ukraine during the 15 August Alaska summit. However, ISW noted that Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on 18 August that Russia “categorical[ly] reject[s]” any plan involving a military contingent in Ukraine with participation from NATO countries. Her statement applied both to formal NATO missions and independent deployments by NATO member states. ISW says this mirrors earlier Russian threats to treat such deployments as legitimate military targets.

Trump and other European officials clarified that any future deployment of peacekeeping forces would not be part of a NATO mission.

Leaders voice support for ceasefire, but prospects remain uncertain

Trump said all leaders attending the 18 August summit “would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace,” but added, “as of this moment, it’s not happening.” Trump stated he supports a ceasefire because it could halt casualties “immediately.”

ISW noted that Macron and Merz expressed support for a ceasefire either ahead of or after a potential trilateral meeting. Trump added that both Zelenskyy and Putin “can talk a little bit more” about the matter.