Trump-Putin summit: Zelenskyy to travel to DC on Monday to meet with President Trump

Trump invited European leaders to join the meeting with the Ukrainian president.

Last Updated: August 17, 2025, 3:05 PM EDT

Following what was described as a “lengthy” phone call with President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he will travel to Washington on Monday to meet with President Donald Trump. A White House official said Trump has invited European leaders to join the meeting on Monday afternoon.

Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on Friday and while Putin mentioned an "agreement" in the post-meeting news conference and Trump said "great progress" was made, there was no mention of a ceasefire.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Aug 15, 2025, 10:40 AM EDT

Trump tells ABC News Russia's overnight strikes on Ukraine hurt Putin

President Donald Trump told ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott he's going to talk with Vladimir Putin about Russia's overnight strikes during Friday's meeting. Trump said he believed the strikes hurt the Russian leader ahead of their talks.

"I think they're trying to negotiate. He's trying to set a stage. I mean, in his mind, that helps him make a better deal. It actually hurts him. But in his mind, that helps him make a better deal, if they could continue the killing. Maybe it's a part of the world, Maybe it's just his fabric, his genes, his genetics, but he thinks that makes him, gives him strength in negotiating. I think it hurts him, but I'll be talking to him about it later," Trump said aboard Air Force One.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One in the air on August 15, 2025, en route to Anchorage.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Russia attacked Ukraine with two ballistic missiles and 97 drones, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Friday morning.

Aug 15, 2025, 10:30 AM EDT

Hegseth and Gens. Caine and Grynkewich are joining summit

Joining President Donald Trump at the summit are Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as well as Gen. Dan Caine, the president's top military adviser, and Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the top NATO and U.S. commander in Europe.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a television interview outside the White House, Aug. 7, 2025, in Washington.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Grynkewich has been playing a lead role in orchestrating new military aid for Ukraine, including an initial aid package now totaling $1.5 billion.

Under the plan endorsed by Trump, five European allies -- the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Germany -- have agreed to purchase air defense capabilities, missiles, artillery and ammunition from U.S. companies. The weapons would then be provided to Ukraine. A senior NATO military official said to expect "further significant announcements from other allies soon."

Officials said Grynkewich and Caine, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs, will be on hand at the summit to provide Hegseth and the president military advice.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

Aug 15, 2025, 10:16 AM EDT

Trump says US could 'maybe' provide security guarantees to Ukraine

President Donald Trump on Air Force One said the U.S., in conjunction with Europe, could "maybe" provide security guarantees to Ukraine. Security guarantees post-war are a key demand of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“Maybe, along with Europe and other countries. Not in the form of NATO, because that's not going to, you know, there are certain things that aren't going to happen. But, yeah, along with Europe, there's a possibility of that," Trump said.

-ABC News' Fritz Farrow

Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, August 12, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London, August 14, 2025 and President Donald Trump in Washington, August 14, 2025.
Reuters/EPA/Shutterstock

Aug 15, 2025, 10:14 AM EDT

Trump threatens 'economically severe' consequences for Putin if no interest in peace deal

President Donald Trump told reporters on the flight to Alaska that there would be "economically severe" consequences for Putin if he does not appear interested in a peace deal.

"Economically severe. Yes, it will be very severe. I'm not doing this for my health. OK? I don't need it. I'd like to focus on our country, but I'm doing this to save a lot of lives. Yeah, very severe," Trump said.

PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin | Donald Trump
A combination picture shows Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Arkhangelsk Region Governor Alexander Tsybulsky in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region, Russia July 24, 2025. | Donald Trump during a swearing-in ceremony for the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, at the White House in Washington, D.C., May 28, 2025.
Alexander Kazakov/Leah Millis via Reuters

Trump had set an Aug. 8 deadline for Putin to agree to a ceasefire or face secondary sanctions, but the deadline came without any new sanction announcements by the administration. Instead, that was the day Trump announced he would be meeting with Putin face-to-face on U.S. soil.

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