When Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on August 18, the diplomatic scenario looked like this: first — a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, then — a trilateral meeting with Trump's participation. This was the agenda order discussed in the Oval Office. But the very next day, the Kremlin reminded that any top-level meeting requires "careful preparation" — and did not name any date.
What was actually agreed upon — and what is still missing
According to CNN, Zelenskyy reported that the discussion covered a package of security guarantees: Ukraine plans to purchase American weapons worth 90 billion dollars at the expense of European financing, and also to establish its own drone production — some of which will be purchased by the United States. As CNBC reports, Zelenskyy stated that the agreement should be "put on paper within a week to ten days." Details of the control mechanism have not yet been disclosed.
Trump at the meeting abandoned his previous demand for a ceasefire before negotiations — now he is talking about a "peace agreement" that can be concluded while fighting continues. This aligns with Moscow's position, which has never agreed to a full ceasefire.
"We are ready for any format, at any time. I am confident that the trilateral meeting should resume."
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, April 22, 2025
The Kremlin's tactics: not "no," but not "yes" either
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the meeting requires "reciprocity from Kyiv" — a standard formula that allows any agreements to be dragged out without an outright refusal. As the Kyiv Independent recorded, even after the Alaska summit between Trump and Putin, the Kremlin rejected Trump's claim about agreements reached regarding the organization of a meeting with Zelenskyy. Putin, meanwhile, refuses to meet with the Ukrainian president in third countries outside of Russia and Belarus, instead "inviting" Zelenskyy to Moscow.
- The White House (press secretary Karoline Leavitt): preparation of a bilateral meeting Putin — Zelenskyy "is underway."
- Trump (Fox News): the trilateral format will take place "if needed" — after direct negotiations between the two leaders.
- Trump (Fox News): there will be no American troops to ensure a peace agreement in Ukraine.
- The Kremlin: no specific dates and conditions are named.
Why now
The negotiation activity of August is a consequence of the Alaska summit on August 15, after which Trump came under pressure to prove that the meeting with Putin had practical results. The meeting at the White House with Zelenskyy and the leaders of the Group of Seven served as public confirmation: Washington did not abandon Kyiv. In return, Putin got what he had been seeking for months: the US withdrew its requirement for an immediate ceasefire as a precondition for negotiations.
For Zelenskyy, a format success is the fact that the trilateral scenario is being discussed publicly. For Moscow — a pause without commitments. Peskov has already tested this logic: "If the partner is ready — we are ready," Lavrov said back in April. The partner, in the Kremlin's view, is not yet "ready."
If the security guarantees package for Ukraine is indeed signed within 10 days — as Zelenskyy promised — this will become the first concrete Western commitment that Moscow will have to either recognize or openly reject. Only then will it become clear whether Putin is truly "tired of war," as Trump suggested, or is simply waiting for partners to exhaust themselves.
