【Text by Observers Net, Xiong Chaoran】According to the U.S. "Politico" website on August 17 local time, U.S. Middle East envoy Witkoff said on that day, in reference to the recent U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska, that the two leaders unexpectedly reached an agreement on allowing Ukraine to receive post-war security guarantees.

Witkoff told CNN: "We have reached an agreement that the U.S. and other European countries can effectively provide wording similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (collective defense clause) to cover security guarantees." However, it is worth noting that this statement has not been confirmed by the Russian side.

On the same day, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated in a statement: "The United States is prepared to participate in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, which is a historic decision. As a result of our joint efforts, these security guarantees must be very practical, capable of providing protection on land, air, and sea, and must be developed under the participation of Europe."

The report said that for Europeans who had strongly lobbied before the U.S.-Russia summit, progress in the area of security guarantees was a good news, but the assessment by U.S. Secretary of State Rubio that Russia is unlikely to agree to a ceasefire soon was worrying. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is striving to reach an agreement aimed at stopping the fighting and is ready to negotiate on territorial changes as part of a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, but Ukraine will not give up the territories not occupied by Russian forces.

Zelenskyy emphasized that he is willing to negotiate with Russian President Putin in talks mediated by U.S. President Trump in the future. "Given the importance of the territorial issue, it should only be discussed by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia in a trilateral meeting with Ukraine, the United States, and Russia," he said: "So far, there is no indication from Russia that it will hold a trilateral meeting, and if Russia refuses, new sanctions must be imposed."

August 18, Zelenskyy met von der Leyen on X platform

On the afternoon of August 17 local time, after meeting with leaders of countries supporting Ukraine, British Prime Minister Starmer, French President Macron and others expressed appreciation for Trump's clear expression of willingness to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, and reiterated their commitment to "deploy a (security) guarantee force after hostilities cease."

On the same day, Zelenskyy met with EU Commission President von der Leyen in Brussels, Belgium, and then held a press conference and made a speech. He will fly to Washington on August 18 local time to meet with Trump.

The New York Times reported that day that Trump said he had reached an agreement with Putin on "many issues" and had told European leaders that he believed a peace negotiation could be achieved if Ukraine agreed to abandon territory in the east. Currently, Ukrainian forces have been resisting Russian offensives in key areas of the Donetsk region, including strategic locations such as Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

"We need real negotiations," Zelenskyy said in Brussels: "This means they can start from the current front line, and the contact line is the best route for negotiations."

Zelenskyy believes that since 2014, Russia has tried to control the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, but has never succeeded. He added that Putin "has not been able to seize the region for 12 years, and the Ukrainian constitution stipulates that abandoning territory or exchanging land is impossible."

Previously, the UK's Daily Telegraph reported on August 11 local time that "Zelenskyy's position has softened," and Ukraine may agree to a ceasefire and make concessions on the territorial issue. Only one day later, according to the BBC on August 12 local time, Zelenskyy clearly stated that Ukraine would reject any proposal from Russia to exchange a ceasefire for the Donbas region and warned that the region might be used as a "platform" for future attacks by Ukrainian forces.

"Politico" reported last week that Ukraine would not discuss territorial exchanges unless Russia first accepts and complies with a ceasefire agreement, while Moscow has consistently refused to set a ceasefire date.

August 15, 2025, Alaska, USA, U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin shook hands at a joint press conference. Visual China

After the U.S.-Russia summit, Zelenskyy confirmed that he would visit the White House on August 18 to meet with Trump. On August 17, several European leaders confirmed that they would also go to the United States to attend the meeting. The European leaders confirmed to attend this meeting include: British Prime Minister Starmer, French President Macron, German Chancellor Mertz, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, Finnish President Stubb, NATO Secretary-General Rutte, and EU Commission President von der Leyen.

Perhaps realizing that the Ukraine-Russia conflict will continue, several European leaders, including European Council President Costa and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Caras, have stated that they will increase pressure on Russia through sanctions. At the same time, this may be a key topic in the meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy, and the European delegation.

"The ball is once again back in Europe's court, and Europe is eager to come up with a unified plan before heading to the meeting in America," CNN said. Trump suddenly overturned principles agreed upon less than a week earlier the previous day, which shocked the Europeans. The most core point was that Ukraine must first stop the fighting before engaging in reconciliation negotiations.

When Trump spoke to Fox News, he said that his relationship with Putin has always been good and gave their meeting a perfect score. He also said that the ceasefire depends on Ukraine. "We are very close to reaching an agreement, but Ukraine must agree, and President Zelenskyy must agree," Trump said. He added that European countries also need to "participate in some way."

CNN said that Europeans believe it is better not to publicly refute Trump, but instead to emphasize the positive aspects, such as Trump's mention of providing "security guarantees" for Ukraine.

Although Trump once said that Russia would face "serious consequences" if it did not agree to a ceasefire, and even threatened to impose secondary sanctions on Russian oil buyers, in reality, Putin did not yield an inch in Alaska, and Trump did not pressure him, and delayed further actions against Russian oil buyers.

"Whoever enters the Oval Office with Zelenskyy will take on a difficult task, trying to persuade Trump to accept the principles of Europe, which he himself had already agreed to," CNN wrote.

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