After White House Follow Up, More Handshakes, Hugs and Vows of Loyalty

Returning to the White House six months after the notorious “Ambush in the Oval Office,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was besieged with handshakes, hugs and mutual vows of loyalty.

Sitting beside the Ukrainian leader, who was dressed in a black casual jacket, shirt and trousers, President Donald Trump was his affable self, expressing his love for Ukrainians, admiration for Ukraine’s military achievements and optimism about concluding Russia’s 42-month war against Ukraine.

With European leaders present, the picture that emerged was one of unity with Ukraine. There was a well-deserved round of backslapping. Zelenskyy also sought to build family ties during the meeting, handing his host a letter from Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska to be delivered to US First Lady Melania Trump, who had interceded on behalf of stolen Ukrainian children.

Trump told Zelenskyy on Monday during the White House meeting 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.

Zelenskyy hailed the promise as “a major step forward,” adding that the guarantees would be “formalized on paper within the next week to 10 days.” He added that Ukraine offered to buy about $90 billion worth of US weapons that Ukraine does not have, including aviation systems, anti-missile systems "and other things I will not disclose.”

Trump made the pledge during an extraordinary follow-up summit at the White House, where he hosted Zelenskyy and a group of European allies days after Trump met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

However, thoughts of peace notwithstanding, Russian missiles and drones weren’t silenced. A ceasefire or truce, which would have at least temporarily halted their deadly flight and killings, was disregarded in favor of hopes for an unclear peace agreement.

Russian cutthroats attacked Ukraine on the night August 18 with four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 140 Shahed strike UAVs and simulator drones of various types, 88 drones were neutralized; hits of missiles and strike UAVs were recorded at 25 locations, the press service of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reported.

“On the night of August 18 (from 21:00 on August 17), the enemy attacked with four Iskander-M ballistic missiles (from the areas of Taganrog, Millerovo, Kursk), as well as 140 Shahed strike UAVs and simulator drones of various types from the directions of: Kursk, Orel, Bryansk, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Russia, Chauda – temporarily-occupied Crimea,” the press service reported on Telegram on Monday. Russian missiles and strike UAVs were hit at 25 locations in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Kyiv regions. According to preliminary data, as of 09:00, air defense systems shot down/suppressed 88 enemy Shahed UAVs and simulator drones of various types in the north, south, east and center of the country. Earlier, Russian bombardment killed civilians in Kharkiv and Odesa.

From the rubric of mortal possibilities, Trump reaffirmed his opposition to returning Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014, to Ukraine and the country’s accession to NATO. The consolation expressed by US envoy Steve Witkoff was that the US “could offer Article 5-like protection” to Ukraine, referring to NATO’s commitment to defend any member who comes under attack. No one offered what “Article 5-like” will mean in practice.

Security was high on the list of topics discussed by all participants. When asked his thoughts about what security means for Ukraine, President Zelenskyy clarified, saying "Everything." Zelenskyy said when asked by a reporter in the Oval Office what security guarantees he’s looking for from Trump to reach a deal. “It includes two parts. “It’s a lot about weapon and people and training missions and intelligence,” he said alongside Trump. “And second, we will discuss with our partners. It depends on the big countries, on the United States, on a lot of our friends.”

Zelenskyy added that the details of the security concept would be formalized on paper in 10 days.

Trump assured that US will give Ukraine “very good protection.” He said the United States will be involved in security assistance for Ukraine but did not elaborate on what exactly that would look like or give any specifics.

“We’re going to be discussing it today, but we will give them very good protection, very good security,” Trump said.

The American president also said Europe would need to shoulder much of the burden when it comes to security guarantees, but that the US will play a role. “They are first line of defense because they're there,” Trump said, “But we're going to help them. And also, we'll be involved.”

European leaders accepted this promise. At the table were NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finland President Alexander Stubb.

Nearly all the leaders emphasized the need for security guarantees for Ukraine, with several saying it should look similar to Article 5 obligations. Ukraine is not a member of NATO but the nation has pushed for membership, something Russia is strongly opposed to. Along with Trump.

“The fact that you have said that I’m willing to participate in the security guarantees is a big step. It’s really a breakthrough,” NATO’s Rutte told Trump. “And it makes all the difference. So also, thank you for that. It is important to also know what the situation will be with the security guarantees to prevent Vladimir Putin from ever, ever trying again to invade parts of Ukraine.”

France's Macron and Germany's Merz challenged Trump on a ceasefire, insisting it’s a necessity for moving forward. “Let’s try to put pressure on Russia, because the credibility of these efforts, these efforts we are undertaking today are depending on at least a ceasefire from the beginning of the serious negotiations,” Merz said.

“The next steps ahead are the more complicated ones now ... To be honest, we all would like to see a ceasefire,” Germany's Merz said. Merz said he cannot imagine a trilateral meeting would be able to occur without a ceasefire in place.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the most significant outcome of talks at the White House was the willingness of the US to work on the content of security guarantees for Ukraine.

“We have agreed on several important points that were not as clear a few days or weeks ago,” Macron said, adding that the “first and most important” was the US commitment to further develop the security plans.

In addition to ceasefire, sanctions against Russia, which Trump threatened to institute if Putin wouldn’t stop the war, were also overlooked.

Trump made a confusing point in another post on Sunday night, saying that Zelenskyy could “end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.” Actually, Russia could end its war against Ukraine immediately by having its invaders drop their weapons and leave the country. On the other hand, if Ukraine ends the war by stopping to defend itself, then it would be overrun by Russian cutthroats.

At the end of the 25-minute press conference, Trump went to call Putin. He said they discussed the possibility of holding a three-way meeting in the near future though more information was not forthcoming.

Trump made hopeful announcements in posts on social media Monday, saying he had spoken with Putin and “began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined.”

Trump said he would meet with the two leaders afterward but did not provide details on when the talks would take place.

"This was a very good, early step for a war that has been going on for almost four years," Trump posted.

The announcement followed several hours of talks between Trump, Zelenskyy and leaders from five European nations, the president of the European Commission and the secretary general of NATO. Hours earlier, he said that if Ukraine and Russia can meet for trilateral talks with the US, there’s a “reasonable chance” of ending the war. “We're going to work with everybody, and we're going to make sure that if there's peace, the peace is going to stay a long time,” Trump said.

"I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner and ally for their support and invaluable assistance," Zelensky added.

"Russia must end this war, which it itself started. And I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace."

I, for one, do not share Trump’s optimism for a foreseeable end to the war. Putin’s demands such as Luhansk and Donetsk are impossible to fulfill. Indeed, Putin will has also hinted that his ultimate goal is to re-subjugate all of Ukraine. American encouragement was regularly belittled. While Russian assurances were never fulfilled. Security guarantees were discussed and signed but never fulfilled. The war, sadly, will continue and Ukrainians will continue to die.