Zelenskyy–Trump Meeting Live Updates: Chancellor Merz Calls For Europe-Wide Security Guarantees, Slams Russia’s Donbas Demands As Unrealistic

Trump makes a slight criticism on the German chancellor's assertion

“The way is open for complicated negotiations. And to be honest, we all would like to see a ceasefire,” Merz says.

“The latest from the next meeting on, I can’t imagine that the next meeting would [take] place without a ceasefire, so let’s work on that, and let’s try to put pressure on Russia,” he says.

Trump responds by suggesting Zelenskyy and Putin will speak “and we’ll see how that works out.”

He then adds: “In the wars that I have settled, I haven’t had a ceasefire ... So if we can do the ceasefire, great, and if we don’t do a ceasefire, because many other points were given to us, many, many points were given to us, great points.”

Russia is opposed to a temporary ceasefire, and Trump took the same view after his recent summit with Putin in Alaska.

Trump said, “We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact” between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump has suggested in the past that Ukraine would have to formally cede territory to Russia, including the Crimea region

"We have to do safety and circumstances... We need to work in Parliament, because during the war, you can't have elections, but we can, we can do security," he said.

"We need a truce... to make possible for people to do democratic, open, legal, legal elections."- Reuters

Ukrainian mourners attending a soldier’s funeral in Kyiv expressed their anger about the US-Ukraine talks taking place in Washington on Monday.

Hundreds of people attended the memorial at the capital’s central square Maidan to honor 39-year-old David Chichkan, a popular artist turned soldier who died after a Russian drone strike hit his frontline unit earlier this month.

“After thousands of people died in this war, it feels like we’re just being sold out now,” said Oleksandra Grygorenko, 45, a fan of Chichkan from the city of Poltava.

I know exactly what I’m doing, and I don’t need the advice of people who have been working on all of these conflicts for years and were never able to do a thing to stop them.

Russians are deliberately killing people, particularly children. As of now, seven people have been killed as a result of the drone strike in Kharkiv, the youngest being a girl who is only a year and a half old, and dozens have been injured, including children. In Zaporizhzhia, missile strikes injured 20 people and killed three.

My condolences go out to all of the victims' families and loved ones. There was also a deliberate Russian strike on an energy facility in Odesa owned by an Azerbaijani company, implying that it was an attack not only on us but also on our relations and energy security. The Russian war machine continues to destroy lives despite everything. Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts. That is precisely why we are seeking assistance to put an end to the killings

Thank my friend, President Putin, for his phone call and for sharing insights on his recent meeting with President Trump in Alaska. India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard. I look forward to our…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2025

⚡️ Zelensky says Putin undermines diplomatic efforts after Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia kills 3, injures 23."Many wounded are in serious condition — right now, doctors are fighting for their lives," regional governor Ivan Fedorov said.https://t.co/bjhZU5Rgee

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) August 18, 2025