Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, after meeting with President Donald Trump and European leaders Monday, August 18, 2025, in Washington. JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow on Thursday, August 21, of shirking a meeting between him and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, despite US-led attempts to arrange a summit to end the war. US President Donald Trump is trying to end Russia's three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine by bringing both Zelensky and Putin to the negotiating table.
But despite high-profile talks with Putin in Alaska last week and separate meetings with Zelensky and European leaders in Washington on Monday, there has been little tangible progress toward a peace deal. Zelensky said Russia was "trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting." "Frankly speaking, the signals coming from Russia are simply outrageous... They don't want to end this war," the Ukrainian leader said during an evening address. "They continue their massive attacks on Ukraine and their ferocious assaults along the front line," he said.
Zelensky has signalled willingness to meet with Putin, but only after his allies agree on security guarantees for Ukraine to deter future Russian attacks once the fighting stops. He has also said any meeting should take place in a "neutral" European country – ruling out a summit in Moscow – and rejected the idea of China helping to guarantee Ukrainian security.
