【By Observer News, Xiong Chaoran】On August 16 local time, U.S. President Trump told European leaders that he hopes to arrange a tripartite meeting with the leaders of Ukraine and Russia before next Friday (August 22), provided that his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on August 18 local time goes smoothly. According to a report by CNN, U.S. Vice President Vance and at least one European leader are expected to join Trump and Zelenskyy in their meeting at the White House.

According to "Politico" on the same day, citing two European diplomats and one source, when Zelenskyy visited the White House on August 18 local time to meet with Trump, Europe would send at least one of "Trump's favorite interlocutors" (Trump’s favorite interlocutors) to accompany him. This person is Finnish President Stubb. The European plan is for Stubb to help prevent any conflict between Trump and Zelenskyy and to persuade Trump to include Europe in any further negotiations.

Previously, the Wall Street Journal described 57-year-old Stubb as one of Trump's most trusted European allies, having met Trump during "golf diplomacy" at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump praised Stubb's golf skills, saying he had "very good technique." According to a source, NATO Secretary General Rutte, who has become well-known due to the "daddy" meme, may also visit Washington.

Photo of U.S. President Trump and Finnish President Stubb playing golf

European and Ukrainian officials believe that the White House meeting on August 18 is key to ensuring that Trump does not accept demands from Russian President Putin that they cannot accept, such as ceding parts of Ukraine under Russian control to Russia. At the same time, Europeans also hope to avoid Zelenskyy being "ambushed" again at the White House, which could damage U.S.-Ukrainian relations. In February this year, Trump and Zelenskyy had a "century quarrel" at the White House, leading to a setback in bilateral relations for several months.

"Politico" reported that Trump and Putin's meeting in Alaska on August 15 local time did not yield any breakthroughs, and the future path remains uncertain.

Trump said he would first meet with Zelenskyy on August 18 local time, then seek to facilitate a trilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy with himself. However, Putin so far has refused to meet with Zelenskyy, and there was no indication during the Alaska meeting that he had changed his stance.

"It is clear that the outcome of the Alaska summit has raised concerns in Europe because Trump seems to have largely accepted Putin's position," said Camille Grand, a former senior NATO official.

Trump abandoned the threat of immediate sanctions against Russia if the talks did not yield progress and no longer sought an immediate ceasefire, instead seeking a comprehensive agreement, and also used similar wording to Putin on the issue of a ceasefire. "This meeting was not entirely a disaster, but Europeans are definitely worried about the future direction," Grand added: "Therefore, they are trying to avoid another farce during Zelenskyy's upcoming visit."

Video screenshot of a heated argument between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vance at the White House in February

"Politico" pointed out that although European and Ukrainian officials expressed optimism publicly, privately, officials were concerned about Putin's return to the Western red carpet welcome. A European official said: "Since the beginning of the year, concerns have existed, and yesterday's meeting did not really ease these concerns."

Over the past few weeks, Trump's position on the Ukraine-Russia conflict has been erratic. For months, he has blamed Ukraine for the conflict, but shortly before the U.S.-Russia summit, he became more critical of Putin and Russia. He even threatened that if Putin did not agree to stop the war after the meeting, it would face "serious consequences."

However, hours after the meeting with Putin in Alaska, Trump withdrew his call for an immediate ceasefire, stating again that ending the conflict would be decided by Ukraine and suggesting Kyiv "accept the deal," without specifying Putin's proposal.

After the summit, Trump said he negotiated with Putin on "land exchange," but refused to provide more details, and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

CNN cited European officials' statements that Putin clearly proposed a "land exchange" requirement with Ukraine during his meeting with Trump, including insisting that Ukraine give up its eastern Donbas region. Trump told European leaders that, in exchange, Putin was willing to freeze current military activities in other areas of Ukraine and agree not to attack Ukraine or other European countries.

European officials stated that even if a peace agreement and ceasefire are reached through negotiations, ensuring that Europe and the United States provide security guarantees for Ukraine will still be a difficult task. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis told CNN that while land issues are easier to negotiate, Putin might view "NATO-style protective measures" as a more existential threat.

A European official revealed that French President Macron and British Prime Minister Starmer will host a "will alliance" phone conference on August 17 local time. The so-called "will alliance" refers to countries that have pledged to provide military and other support to Ukraine after the end of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Before the Alaska meeting, Trump had said he supported the U.S. playing a certain role in providing security guarantees - the U.S. should provide some form of assurance or support to prevent Russia from attacking again after a peace agreement is reached. After Trump's late evening call with European officials on August 15 local time, leaders of Nordic and Baltic countries once again welcomed these commitments.

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

The report states that despite Trump's increased consultations with Europe before and after his meeting with Putin compared to previous times, these frequent contacts seem to have yielded no substantial results. European officials are relieved that Trump did not agree to a deal with Putin, but disappointed by Trump's threat to impose high "secondary tariffs" on third countries purchasing Russian oil.

"They (Europeans) want to influence the negotiation process as much as possible, because they know Trump really wants to do it, they don't want to leave the initiative to Putin," said Giuseppe Spatafora, a former NATO official and current research analyst at the EU Institute for Security Studies. "Overall, Trump's communication with Europeans has been more frequent than in his first 100 days in office, which is good. They have influence, but limited."

On August 15 local time, Trump and Putin met in Alaska, USA, for a three-hour meeting. This was the first face-to-face meeting between Russian and U.S. leaders since June 2021 and the first time a Russian president has set foot on American soil since September 2015.

In a brief joint press conference, both leaders called the meeting atmosphere good and constructive, but Trump revealed that no agreement had been reached. Putin also invited Trump in English to visit Moscow for a meeting next time, and Trump expressed openness to the idea.

After the U.S.-Russia summit, on August 16 local time, Trump called Zelenskyy and other European leaders and invited Zelenskyy to visit Washington on Monday (August 18). Zelenskyy confirmed the news.

"This may be another tough meeting," reported Axios, citing the message that "the call was not easy and seemed very unfavorable for Ukraine." It was revealed that Trump no longer supports a ceasefire and believes that achieving peace "depends on Zelenskyy." The New York Times further cited statements from two senior European officials that Trump supports ending the war by ceding the Donbas region (including territories not occupied by Russian forces) to Russia, rather than attempting to reach a ceasefire agreement.

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