"Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to make every effort to reach peace. President Trump has announced his meeting with the Russian leader and key points in the discussion," President Zelensky said on August 16, his first statement since the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"On August 18, I will meet President Trump in Washington DC to discuss all the details related to ending the war and killing. I appreciate the invitation," the Ukrainian president added.
According to the Ukrainian president, he spoke privately with President Trump for "about an hour" after the Alaska summit. After that, the European leaders also participated in a phone call that lasted a total of more than an hour and a half.
President Zelensky supported President Trump's proposal for a three-way meeting between Ukraine, Russia and the US. Ukraine stressed that important issues could be discussed at the leadership level, and a three-way form was appropriate for this, Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader stressed the importance of Europe's participation at all stages to ensure reliable security commitments with the US.
We also discussed positive signals from the US side regarding participation in ensuring security for Ukraine. We continue to coordinate our stance with all partners. I thank all parties for their support," President Zelensky said.
In an interview with Fox News, President Trump said that both President Putin and President Zelensky want him to participate in a potential meeting between the two leaders in the future to discuss the path to peace. "Both want me to be there and I will be there," Trump said.
President Trump spent most of his time talking on the 6-hour flight from Alaska back to Maryland, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
European leaders have joined in the call with President Trump and President Zelensky. The French government issued a statement saying that the call was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor think think think Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen also joined the call.
After his visit to the US, Russian President Vladimir Putin flew to the Chukotka region, in Russia's Far East region, to meet with the region's governor. The Kremlin issued a statement about the activities of the Russian leader along with a photo of Mr. Putin at a meeting with the president.
Chukotka is the closest land to Alaska in Russia, just about 80km across the Bering Sea.
Meanwhile, Yuri Ushakov - senior adviser to the Kremlin - shared with Russia's RIA news agency that the idea of a meeting with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not raised when US President Donald Trump met with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Yuri Ushakov was a member of President Putin's delegation to the summit in Alaska as a foreign policy advisor.
Mr. Ushakov added that it is still unclear when the next meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place.
