Aug. 18, 2025, may be a day that future historians remember.
Fresh off his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top European leaders and backers of Ukraine, including the heads of the European Commission and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
After a call with Putin, the president laid the groundwork for bilateral talks between Putin and Zelenskyy. That, in turn, may lead to trilateral Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy talks.
The U.S. president stressed the difficulties of achieving lasting peace in the region, where the current war comes after decades of repeated conflicts between Russia and Ukraine.
Yet, optimism pervaded the atmosphere. For the first time in a long time, it seems like peace may be in reach.
Security Guarantees
Trump told European leaders that “President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte credited Trump with having “broke the deadlock” with Putin through a diplomatic dialogue that began early in his term.
Zelenskyy described the American security guarantees as “very important.”
Those guarantees could include protections for Ukraine similar to those of Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Article 5 dictates that an attack on one member triggers a response from all of them.
Yet, NATO-like protections for Ukraine could come at the expense of possible membership in the multilateral organization.
Before Monday’s meetings, Trump suggested on Truth Social that Zelenskyy could put an end to the war by ceding Crimea and not entering NATO.
Question Mark Over Cease-Fire
During his meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump suggested a cease-fire might not be necessary.
“I like the concept of a cease-fire for one reason, because you'd stop killing people immediately, as opposed to in two weeks or one week, or whatever it takes. But we can work a deal where we’re working on a peace deal while they’re fighting,” he said.
Trump’s take on the need for a cease-fire seems to have changed after his Aug. 15 meeting with Putin.
Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, pressed Trump on the issue in a press conference on Aug. 18.
He suggested a cease-fire would be crucial to future progress, particularly in arranging any possible meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy.
British Defense Minister John Healey has said his country is prepared to “put boots on the ground” to backstop any cease-fire.
Territorial Swaps Broached
Trump broached the possibility of territorial swaps during his appearance with top European leaders and Zelenskyy.
“We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact—that means the war zone,” the president said.
Zelenskyy described the issue as one of several “sensitive things” that could be discussed in a future meeting between him, Putin, and Trump.
Trump is pressuring Zelenskyy to cede Crimea, a territory that Russia annexed in 2014.
Zelenskyy may also lose ground in Donbass, a heavily Russian-speaking region of eastern Ukraine now largely under Russian control.
—Nathan Worcester
BOOKMARKS
Harjinder Singh has been charged with vehicular homicide after making an illegal U-turn with a semi-truck that caused an accident that left three people dead in Florida. Singh, an illegal immigrant, was able to obtain a commercial driver’s license due to a law passed in California in 2013, but now faces deportation.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) says it will no longer appeal the dismissal of a case against a postal worker who violated concealed-carry federal gun laws by carrying a firearm when entering a post office. The worker “carried a handgun on the job for self-defense,” and “continuing to pursue the appeal is not an appropriate use of prosecutorial resources,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in a letter explaining the decision.
Trump’s ramp-up against crime in D.C. will also target graffiti, according to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. “Graffiti left untouched to scar public spaces is the visual declaration of a society’s surrender,” Miller said on X.
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) wants to face off against GOP Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) in 2026, after being toppled from his seat by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in 2024. Husted was appointed last year to replace Vice President JD Vance.
After fleeing Texas for two weeks, Democrats are returning to the Lone Star State to face Republicans in a redistricting battle. The Democrats said they would return after California moved forward with a plan to redraw its districts, offsetting any gains the GOP made in Texas.
—Stacy Robinson
