Putin says yes, bilateral meeting with Zelensky by August

Vladimir Putin has agreed to a bilateral meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky. The face-to-face meeting between the two rivals will take place by August at a location yet to be determined, and will be followed by a trilateral meeting with Donald Trump.

"Preparations are underway," the US president said, referring to the summit between the two leaders. A historic meeting during which—Zelensky admitted—the territorial issue will be addressed, a topic that wasn't addressed during the long day of meetings at the White House despite Trump's weeks-long talk of exchanging territories.

The leaders' attention was focused on security guarantees, a point on which intense discussions will continue. "We discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, guarantees that will be provided by various European countries, in coordination with the United States," Trump explained without going into detail. "We are evaluating NATO Article 5-style guarantees," Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized in an interview with Fox, specifying that the possible deployment of American troops was not discussed. "We will work on this in the coming days; we need to discuss more details," he added. "The West will formalize security guarantees for Ukraine within 10 days," Zelensky announced, implying that negotiations will continue to be tense.

European leaders, including the Ukrainian president, spoke of a positive and constructive meeting with Trump at the White House. The discussions were "intense," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized, specifying that territorial concessions cannot be forced on Kiev. Merz nevertheless expressed appreciation for the American commitment to offering security guarantees. Speaking of "progress," French President Emmanuel Macron expressed caution: "I doubt Putin wants peace," he said, calling for "an increase in sanctions" against Russia if negotiations fail. The Kremlin leader "is not trustworthy," Finnish President Alexander Stubb observed, emphasizing that Trump's phone call to the Kremlin leader in the midst of the White House talks was a good idea. However, he emphasized, it remains to be seen whether he will have the courage to hold such a meeting.