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German Chancellor Merz: Putin–Zelenskyy Meeting Planned Within Two Weeks If Russia “Will Dare”
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are expected to meet within the next two weeks, according to Reuters on August 19.
Merz told reporters that the breakthrough came after US President Donald Trump spoke directly with Putin during a break in a multilateral summit in Washington that included leaders from Ukraine, the US, NATO, the European Commission, and several European states.
“During the break, the American President spoke by phone with the Russian president and agreed that a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents will take place within the next two weeks,” Merz said.
The Chancellor added that Trump also intends to send a new invitation for a three-way summit after the bilateral talks, in hopes of jumpstarting broader peace negotiations.
The location of the upcoming meeting remains undecided. Howewer, a senior US official told Reuters that Hungary is one possible venue for the first Putin–Zelenskyy encounter since June, when failed talks in Turkey collapsed after Putin declined a face-to-face meeting.
“We don’t know if the Russian president will dare to take part in such a summit. That’s why persuasion is still needed,” Merz said.
According to Merz, Trump was “impressed” that European leaders had presented a united front in Washington, and that follow-up discussions between Europe and the US will now focus on concrete security guarantees for Ukraine.
“It’s absolutely clear that all of Europe must be involved in this,” he added.
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At Monday’s extraordinary White House summit, Trump pledged that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any future peace deal—though the scope of that assistance remains unclear.
“When it comes to security, there’s going to be a lot of help,” Trump told reporters, noting that European allies would take the lead while Washington would provide support.
Zelenskyy welcomed the move as “a major step forward,” saying that formal agreements could be put on paper within the next week to 10 days. He also said Ukraine was prepared to purchase roughly $90 billion in US weapons.
Both Trump and Zelenskyy voiced hope that the upcoming bilateral meeting would eventually lead to trilateral talks including Putin.
Earlier, after concluding their meeting at the White House, Trump and Zelenskyy joined European leaders to continue discussions focused on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, securing long-term guarantees, and addressing urgent humanitarian issues.
Following the meeting, Trump described the day as “very successful thus far.”
