Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump that the United States and its European allies could offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the war,

United States and NATO officials were set to meet Wednesday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine as the White House worked to arrange a summit between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia's Vladimir Putin.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington Aug. 18, 2025, amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine. (OSV News photo/Kevin Lamarque, Reuters)

Trump appeared to place the onus of ending the war on the Ukrainian leader, while emphasizing that Ukraine must give up Russian-annexed Crimea and its hopes of joining NATO — key Kremlin demands.

President Donald Trump dismissed criticism of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska as "fake news" Sunday night on Truth Social, saying the war in Ukraine could be ended "almost immediately" but critics were making it harder to do so.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he will visit Washington on Monday to meet Donald Trump, who spoke at length with the Ukrainian president and with NATO and European leaders after the U.S. president's summit in Alaska with Russian counterpartVladimir Putin.

Presidents Trump, Zelenskyy and numerous NATO leaders held a virtual meeting Wednesday ahead of Friday's scheduled summit between Mr. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” Trump’s

U.S. President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine's security in any deal to end Russia's war there, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear.