Will Zelensky Make Concessions on Ukraine’s Eastern Front?

Following the Alaska Summit, Presidents Trump and Putin declared that they achieved “some great progress” in their discussions, yet, as many had predicted, a ceasefire in Ukraine was not established. Putin cautioned Ukraine to avoid provocations and highlighted the importance of addressing the war’s root causes for a sustainable resolution. Trump remarked that the summit was “very productive,” but pointed out that no final agreement exists until it is finalised, with an emphasis on minimising the human toll of the conflict. This afternoon, US President Donald Trump is set to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the White House, followed by a gathering with other European leaders.

Zelensky has already met with Keith Kellogg,  President Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader will now meet with President Trump, which is expected to be accompanied by Vice President Vance and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio. Zelensky was wearing a T-shirt when meeting with Kellogg, and many speculate whether he will wear a suit at the meeting with Trump.

BREAKING: Zelensky arrived at his White House meeting with Trump wearing a T-shirt, despite being asked to wear a suit, per Axios. pic.twitter.com/YvryLudTJg

— Patrick Webb (@RealPatrickWebb) August 18, 2025

This meeting was part of a series of discussions at the White House that included European leaders— an opportunity for them to discuss the current battlefield situation and the few remaining diplomatic options. Today’s discussions at the White House may represent a critical turning point in the conflict, with Trump striving for a significant breakthrough. Nevertheless, both parties have already signalled essential red lines that are unlikely to align with what is expected to be tabled today. For Donald Trump, the situation is quite clear: Ukraine will not be able to join NATO and will not recover Crimea. This implies that Volodymyr Zelensky could potentially end the war, should he accept these conditions as the basis of today’s negotiations.

Prior to the Alaska summit, Trump had encouraged Ukraine to let go of its aspirations to reclaim Crimea, which was assimilated as part of Russia in 2014, as well as its desire to become a NATO member. After coming back to Washington from the Summit, Trump engaged in a phone call with Zelensky, followed by discussions with the leaders of the UK, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland, and France, as well as the NATO Secretary General and the head of the European Commission. The peace proposals that were discussed during the Alaska summit between Vladimir Putin of Russia and Donald Trump suggest that Russia would relinquish minor sections of occupied Ukrainian land. In return, Ukraine would consent to cede portions of its eastern territory, which Moscow is close to capturing. Today’s meeting at the White House offers a great opportunity for Ukraine and its European allies to compromise and find common ground with Trump to put an end to the war.

The confirmed participants at Monday’s meeting are:

• Finnish President Alexander Stubb
• French President Emmanuel Macron
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
• United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
• NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte

Trump’s schedule for today

IMAGE: President Trump’s schedule for today  (Source: Insider Paper)

Following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Alaska summit on Friday, August 15, President Trump concluded that a fragile ceasefire was perhaps not the best way to achieve peace, and suggested that a comprehensive “Peace Agreement” would be a better way to end the Russia-Ukraine war and produce a more sustainable result. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, along with his European partners, are headed to Washington with a sense of urgency to learn about the commitments made by Donald Trump during his summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Whilst the mainstream press is still speculating on the format Trump will be using later today, to present the agreement reached with Putin, they do not question why Zelensky keeps on hidding behind the constitution to block the negotiations. Reflecting on the results of the Trump-Putin summit held in Alaska, Vladimir Zelensky stated:

“The Constitution of Ukraine does not allow the surrender of territories or the trading of land.”

Although his stance could easily be interpreted as noble, Zelensky’s respect for the Ukrainian constitution is well established and rather controversial, which gives his remark a feel of political theatre. From the onset of the conflict, Ukraine’s democratic institutions have not only been influenced by Zelensky’s policies – they have been methodically dismantled in the name of wartime sine qua non. Under Zelensky, presidential, parliamentary, and even local elections have been delayed indefinitely, while opposition media have been either silenced or banned, not to mention the harsh military conscription, the suppression of political dissent or religious freedom, which has been entirely undermined. Zelensky seems to have a god complex, but above all, a serious legitimacy issue. Currently, Zelensky and his European allies need to devise a strategy to involve Mr. Trump in providing tangible security assurances for Ukraine, potentially incorporating a peacekeeping contingent, an idea that was not rejected by Trump but that certainly excludes any NATO involvement.

The Ukrainian president faces a tough decision posed by President Trump: surrender territory to Russia in return for U.S. assurances regarding Ukraine’s future safety, or stand firm and potentially provoke Trump’s wrath…

IZvestia reports…

Drama or show: how will Trump’s meeting with Zelensky and European leaders go?

Experts do not expect drastic changes from the meeting.

Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Zelensky and European leaders is a logical continuation of the US president’s talks with Vladimir Putin over the weekend. Meanwhile, experts interviewed by Izvestia note that with the known breadth of Trump’s possible manoeuvre, his counterpart actually has two strategy options, and neither will lead him to either political or reputational success.

Four options 

As Mikhail Alkhimenkov, a leading RISI expert, explained to Izvestia, if Zelensky refuses to negotiate on these positions, Donald Trump will have four possible solutions.

— Firstly, since the United States continues to dominate the camp of Western countries, they have the opportunity to push through the position voiced and agreed with Putin. If this does not work out, then the second solution for the United States could be to transfer responsibility for the outcome of the conflict to Brussels and London and maintain relations with Russia,” the expert explains.

At the same time, Alkhimenkov notes the complexity of the situation in which the American president finds himself.

— The difficulty lies in the fact that Trump, in the event of Zelensky’s refusal, will need to technically “jump off the topic” of supporting Ukraine in order to prevent possible claims from part of his electorate.

According to the analyst, under such circumstances, Trump needs to take a lot into account in order not to lose the image of a peacemaker who is above the conflict, and at the same time, leave the camp of losing Ukraine and Europe.

According to Alkhimenkov, Trump is being pushed towards the third option by globalists. The point is that if it is not possible to reach an agreement, we need to return to the instruments of political pressure on Russia, which, at least for now, the White House has refused under the pretext of the need to continue a constructive dialogue.

“The globalists hoped that Trump would be on their side, but he managed to get out and did not let himself be caught,— Mikhail Alkhimenkov believes.

Finally, the fourth option is to constantly postpone the decision until Zelensky finally loses and representatives of the European political coalition come to terms and return to the negotiating table.

Waiting for the unexpected

In turn, Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, believes that the US leader is a negotiator capable of surprises.

— I am not completely sure that today he will definitely offer scandalously unacceptable conditions to Ukraine and the EU, which will lower the level of relations again. Although this option is still the most likely one,” the expert explained.

According to him, there is a fundamental difference in Trump’s perception of the leaders of Russia and Ukraine. If he really respects Putin and considers him an equal partner, then Zelensky is perceived more as a figure whom, at other times, he could invite to speak at his holidays. However, according to Denisov, so far, it can be stated that expectations from the upcoming meeting are clearly overstated, and the remarks of Trump and Zelensky, including on the most pressing issue, territorial, contradict each other.

— What can Trump do in this situation? To propose an option with territories that Ukraine will reject, and then name Zelensky, and at the same time, the Europeans, as the culprits of the failed settlement. After that, the United States can withdraw from this conflict. This is one of the likely scenarios,” the expert believes.

Believe what you promised?

Former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, member of the international public movement “The Other Ukraine”, Volodymyr Oleynyk, does not rule out a new scandalous situation similar to the one that occurred in the Oval Office on February 28.

— I do not rule out that the meeting will turn into another spanking, and there will be no dialogue. And I am sure that Trump will not repeat the previous mistake: this time, journalists will not be allowed into the Oval Office, the conversation will be face—to-face,” Vladimir Oleinik is sure. If Zelensky refuses to accept the terms of the agreement, which Trump has already announced, the US president will likely shift responsibility for the conflict to European leaders. 

If Zelensky accepts the conditions and actually retracts his words, it will be a big blow to his image in Ukraine and will certainly turn into internal problems.

— By the way, former US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer also recently warned about this. Nationalist circles in Ukraine will not accept Zelensky’s surrender, because then they themselves will lose power in the country,” the expert emphasises

In his opinion, it is most likely that Zelensky will verbally agree, but will do his best to slow down and postpone the implementation of the agreements.

Speaking about the future of Zelensky himself, Volodymyr Oleynik emphasises that the power of the current Ukrainian leader today rests only on the recognition of the West.

— In fact, he is a political corpse. During the future election campaign, the figures of losses in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will surely come up, and Zelensky will be asked about them. He has little chance of escaping from Ukraine, let alone winning the elections,” the expert concluded.

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