Ukraine talks special: Will Zelensky and Putin meet?

Summary

Global News Podcast: Ukraine Talks Special – Will Zelensky and Putin Meet?

Host: Oliver Conway (BBC World Service)
Date: August 19, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this special episode, the Global News Podcast dives into a pivotal moment in ongoing diplomatic efforts surrounding the war in Ukraine. The focus is on recent high-level talks in Washington involving US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with European leaders in attendance. Central themes include the possibility of face-to-face talks between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, US and European security guarantees for Ukraine, and the current prospects for a ceasefire or peace agreement. Reports and insights are provided from BBC correspondents in Washington and Kyiv, along with expert analysis from Vitaly Shevchenko, Russia editor at BBC Monitoring and host of UkraineCast.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Washington Meeting Recap & The Renewed Diplomatic Push

• New Tone in Talks: Unlike previous tense episodes, the Washington meeting was marked by collaborative dialogue and an unusual sense of unity among US and European leaders backing President Zelensky.
  • Oliver Conway remarks, “There was no repeat of the bust up scene when Mr. Zelensky visited the Oval Office in February.” [00:37]
• International Support: Zelensky was accompanied by a "heavyweight European delegation," indicating strong EU alignment with Ukraine at this stage.
• Changing Atmosphere:
  • Katie Watson reports from Kyiv: “People here will be pleased to see that turnaround, pleased to hear from leaders talking about security guarantees, talking about a trilateral.” [06:54]

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2. Security Guarantees for Ukraine – Contentious and Unclear

• Trump’s Statement:
  • Donald Trump: “There’ll be a lot of help when it comes to security. There’s going to be a lot of help. ... We’ll be involved.” [02:27]
• Ambiguity Remains: Neither US nor Ukrainian officials provided concrete details regarding the proposed security guarantees.
  • Arundei Mukherjee (BBC Washington): “We’re getting different sort of statements from various leaders… this is still something which is work in progress because we’re not getting the complete picture of what exactly are they looking at?” [03:37]
• "NATO-style" Uncertainty: There’s mention of a “NATO-style agreement,” but what that would entail (in terms of military assistance or commitments) remains vague.
• Ukrainian Perspective:
  • Vitaly Shevchenko: “The Ukrainian president said that funding for the Ukrainian army, funding for weapons production in Ukraine was a key part of security guarantees. But ... he did not answer [if that includes] more weapons or new US packages of military aid.” [09:41]

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3. Prospects for Peace Talks & The Potential Zelensky-Putin Meeting

• Trump’s Mediation Effort:
  • After talks at the White House, Trump called Putin for 40 minutes and announced plans to arrange a presidential meeting between Zelensky and Putin, followed by a trilateral meeting involving Trump himself. [02:39]
• Zelensky’s Readiness:
  • Volodymyr Zelensky: “Ukraine will never stop on the way to peace. And we are ready for any kind of format, but on the level of leaders.” [03:01]
• Cautious Optimism, Lingering Doubts:
  • Arundei Mukherjee: “There is a momentum. … But again, it still remains to be seen... we still don’t have any confirmation of when it would happen at all.” [04:55]
  • Vitaly Shevchenko: “...the Russians ... said that they are prepared to raise the level of their representation in talks with Ukraine, which shouldn’t be that difficult ... However ... that does not necessarily mean that it’s Vladimir Putin who’s going to be meeting Volodymyr Zelensky.” [08:26]
• Russian Hesitance: Ongoing uncertainty over whether Putin will genuinely engage directly with Zelensky, especially given Russia’s refusal to recognize Zelensky’s legitimacy.

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4. Ceasefire vs. Full Peace Agreement

• Trump’s Position:
  • Seemingly skipping over immediate ceasefire in favor of pursuing a “complete peace agreement.”
  • Arundei Mukherjee: “President Trump reiterated that he is still for a complete peace agreement rather than a ceasefire.”
• European Stance:
  • Contrasts with EU leaders (notably France and Germany) who insist a ceasefire is prerequisite for any returns to negotiations.

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5. Issue of Ukrainian Territorial Concessions

• Avoided in Talks: No side was willing to publicly address whether Ukraine would be pressured or expected to cede more territory to Russia as part of a settlement.
  • Vitaly Shevchenko: “The Ukrainian president, US President Donald Trump and European leaders, they seem to be unwilling to discuss the subject of territorial concessions ... I get the impression that they were really unwilling to air their views in public on that issue.” [10:51]

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6. Ukrainian Public Reaction

• From Exclusion to Inclusion: Only days earlier, Ukrainians were frustrated by a Trump-Putin summit on Ukraine that excluded Ukraine itself, making today’s turnaround symbolically significant.
  • Katie Watson: “3 days ago Ukrainians here were watching Presidents Trump and Putin holding a summit in Alaska on Ukraine, not even inviting Ukraine. Fast forward to today. And he's now at the center of negotiations.” [06:54]
• Skepticism and Hope: Relief at increased international engagement, but skepticism over what concrete results will follow.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump’s Compliment to Zelensky:
  • Donald Trump: “President Zelensky, you look fabulous in that suit. I said the same thing. ... I apologize to you. You look wonderful.” [01:46]
    • (A humorous callback to previous criticism and a lighter tone than previous summits.)
• Zelensky’s Diplomatic Stance:
  • Volodymyr Zelensky: “Ukraine will never stop on the way to peace. And we are ready for any kind of format, but on the level of leaders.” [03:01]
• Security Guarantee Ambiguity:
  • Arundei Mukherjee: “We still don’t have a clear understanding [of what security guarantees will mean].” [03:37]
• Expert Reality Check:
  • Vitaly Shevchenko: “The Russian president does not see Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a legitimate leader of Ukraine.” [08:26]

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Important Timestamps

• [00:37] – Recap of US-Ukraine talks in Washington and set up for special episode
• [01:46] – Trump’s banter and first exchange with Zelensky
• [02:27] – Trump hints at US involvement in security guarantees
• [03:01] – Zelensky’s reaction and Ukrainian position on peace talks
• [03:37] – Detailed discussion of the ambiguity surrounding security guarantees (Arundei Mukherjee)
• [04:55] – Assessment of the prospects for a Putin-Zelensky meeting
• [06:54] – Ukrainian public’s response and emotional state (Katie Watson from Kyiv)
• [08:26] – Expert analysis on Russia’s evolving stance towards negotiations and challenges ahead (Vitaly Shevchenko)
• [10:51] – Key question of possible Ukrainian territorial concessions and why leaders are tight-lipped

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Conclusion

This episode captures a period of diplomatic flux on the Ukraine conflict, marked by renewed high-level engagement and both hope and skepticism on all sides. Security guarantees remain undefined, the path to direct talks between Zelensky and Putin is uncertain, and the central issues of territory and ceasefire still loom over negotiations. The nuanced reporting and analysis in this episode reflect the precarious balance between diplomatic progress and on-the-ground realities.

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For feedback or questions, contact: [e-mail]

Transcript

[Oliver Conway]

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[Oliver Conway]

This is a special edition of the Global News Podcast with an Update on the U.S. ukraine talks in Washington. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this at 01:30 GMT on Tuesday 19th August. Donald Trump says he's begun arrangements for a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He was speaking after talks with the Ukrainian president at the White House. President Trump also said the US could be involved in security guarantees for Ukraine. European leaders at the meeting stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire. But how will Russia respond? Three days after the Trump Putin summit in Alaska, it was Volodymyr Zelenskyy's turn to put his case to the US President. The Ukrainian leader was joined at the White by a heavyweight European delegation and it seems to have worked. There was no repeat of the bust up scene when Mr. Zelensky visited the Oval Office in February. In fact, the reporter who'd berated him for wearing military fatigues last time was full of praise for his smart outfit.

[Donald Trump]

President Zelensky, you look fabulous in that suit. I said the same thing. Yeah, you look good. I said the same thing. Yeah, I remember that. I apologize to you. You look wonderful. No, my first question for you, President.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]

Zelensky in the same suit.

[Oliver Conway]

On the more serious matter of ending the war in Ukraine, President Trump said that in a very significant step, as he put it, President Putin had agreed to accept security guarantees for Ukraine. Mr. Trump even suggested the US could play a role in the event of a deal, though he didn't give details.

[Donald Trump]

There'll be a lot of help when it comes to security. There's going to be a lot of help. It's going to be good. They are first line of defense because they're there. They're Europe, but we're going to help them out also. We'll be involved.

[Oliver Conway]

President Trump later broke away from the talks to speak by phone to Vladimir Putin, a call that reportedly lasted 40 minutes. He said he'd begun arrangements for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. And at a location to be determined, as he put it, he would then join them for a trilateral meeting. President Zelensky gave his reaction to the media at the gates of the White House.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]

We are ready for trilateral meeting. And if Russia proposed to President of the United States bilateral, and then we will see that the result of bilateral, and then it can be trilateral. So I said all these two, Ukraine will never stop on the way to peace. And we are ready for any kind of format, but on the level of leaders. Thank you so much.

[Oliver Conway]

Just before we came on air, I asked our correspondent in Washington, Arundei Mukherjee, for more details of those possible security guarantees that Ukraine wants from the US.

This is interesting because this is where I think talks really hinged on, you know, what kind of assurances as far as security guarantees are concerned. And you know, we're getting different sort of statements from various leaders who were involved in those conversations. But I, I think this is still something which is work in progress because we're not getting the complete picture of what exactly are they looking at? You know, when they say it's like it's gonna be a NATO style agreement, what does that mean? Are we looking at, you know, increased American support? If so, then what is that? You know, we saw some very confident statements coming in from Donald Trump where he said that, look, we're gonna do a lot to protect them, but what does that actually translate to? His last post on Truth Social was interesting where, you know, he talked about security guarantees being provided by various European countries, but then he on to say with a coordination with the United States of America. Now that's fairly ambiguous, right? So we still don't have a clear understanding. And even a short while back when President Zelensky spoke outside the White House, at the end of the day, he also didn't give too many details, but essentially talked about why it is required and why it is needed and there will be a role that the US Would play. But we still don't have too much of a sense of what exactly that's going to look like.

Now there's some reporting that the hope is for a Putin Zelensky meeting by the end of August. August. Could that really happen?

Well, it remains to be seen. I think a month ago we perhaps couldn't have imagined that summit in Alaska. And then within 48 hours, you know, you saw all the developments taking place here in Washington, D.C. so clearly there is a momentum. And I think that's what the leaders involved are hoping that they don't lose on the momentum and try to sort of make the most of what they have managed to get get done at this point in time. You know, that's what we picked up from a lot of the statements that came in from all the involved leaders, you know, talking about progress being made, how the talks were constructive, how the time is right. So they would certainly hope that this happens. But again, you know, it still remains to be seen because Donald Trump has had a conversation with Vladimir Putin. They are discussing the possibilities of this, but we still don't have any confirmation of when it would happen at all. And remember, you know, even as they're trying to figure this out, the onslaught on the ground, the military onslaught on the ground in Ukraine is still very much carrying on.

Yeah, the meeting itself was a very different tone to the one we saw back in February and indeed what we saw in Alaska. What do you make of it all?

Well, it was definitely very different from what we saw the last time. And I think that's why, you know, you saw the European leaders rally around the Ukrainian president just to show that sort of support, to try and avoid a repeat of what had happened last time. And that showed in the body language as well. But what's interesting is while there were some statements of positivity and agreement, there were also some points which, which reminded us how people are also speaking in different tones. You know, President Trump reiterated that he is still for a complete peace agreement rather than a ceasefire. You know, he reiterated that, but we heard from leaders from France and Germany, for instance, you know, who are still very much pushing for a ceasefire, saying that for any talks to proceed, there has to be a ceasefire. So, you know, these are reminders that there are still areas that they need to speak in.

One voice over Mukherjee in Washington. So how's it all going down in Ukraine? Katie Watson is in the capital Kiev.

[Katie Watson]

I spoke to a Ukrainian yesterday who was very worried about this meeting, worried that President Zelensky would be made a fool of after that meeting back in February. I mean, if you think 3 days ago Ukrainians here were watching Presidents Trump and Putin holding a summit in Alaska on Ukraine, not even inviting Ukraine. Fast forward to today. And he's now at the center of negotiations with European leaders and Donald Trump. So I think people here will be pleased to see that turnaround, pleased to hear from leaders talking about security guarantees, talking about a trilateral. He and his advisers even brought along a map to show Donald Trump about what territory in Ukraine was held by Russia, presumably with the intention of explaining that they did not want to be giving up any of that land. But certainly cease fire talk as well. Donald Trump wanting to skip a cease fire again, leaders saying that that was really important to have a ceasefire first. I think all of this will be good news for Ukrainians watching, tuning into this, even if it's small steps and we're still a long way from peace.

[Oliver Conway]

Katie Watson in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Vitaly Shevchenko is Russia editor at BBC Monitoring and the host of UkraineCast. Vitaly Lots to discuss US and European security guarantees Ukrainian territory Donald Trump's change of heart over his earlier demand for a ceasefire and most intriguing, a possible meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents. Now, standing where you are in Washington, what are the chances, do you think, of a Putin Zelenskyy summit?

[Vitaly Shevchenko]

Well, it seems that things are definitely going that way. Even the Russians, who have consistently been opposed to a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, they said that they are prepared to raise the level of their representation in talks with Ukraine, which shouldn't be that difficult given that the talks in Istanbul, the delegation that the Russians send was insultingly junior when it comes to serious negotiations. However, what they said today does not necessarily mean that it's Vladimir Putin who's going to be meeting Volodymyr Zelensky. And let's not forget that the Russian president does not see Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a legitimate leader of Ukraine. So even though Donald Trump, after speaking to Putin, said that a bilateral meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents was possible, followed by a trilateral meeting involving him, Donald Trump it's not a definite by any measure.

[Oliver Conway]

Now, when Volodymyr Zelenskyy was asked what he wanted by way of security guarantees, he said everything. What is on offer and what will Russia accept?

[Vitaly Shevchenko]

That is a really good question, Oliver. I asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy that question again when he was speaking here outside the White House, and he said, well, that's going to be between me and our allies. And the Russian president, he seemed reluctant to discuss the nitty gritty of those security guarantees, which is one of the most important questions, really, a question of what exactly Ukraine's allies are prepared to give Ukraine or provide to Ukraine to stop Russia from attacking Ukraine. The Ukrainian president said that funding for the Ukrainian army, funding for weapons production in Ukraine was a key part of security guarantees. But when I asked him, do those guarantees include more weapons or better weapons provided to Ukraine or new US Packages of military aid and other types of aid. He did not answer that question.

[Oliver Conway]

What of the question of Ukraine having to give up more territory to Russia? That seemed to be a key demand going into the meeting in Alaska. Has there been a change?

[Vitaly Shevchenko]

We don't know. In fact, during all the appearances in front of the media assembled here at the White House, the Ukrainian president, US President Donald Trump and European leaders, they seem to be unwilling to discuss the subject of territorial concessions. Instead, it seems as though their conversations focused on security guarantees and the possible meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. They know that this is a hugely controversial issue, the prospect of Ukraine possibly giving up its territory to Russia. They know that's not really a guarantee for Russia to stop attacking Ukraine ever in the future. So I get the impression that they were really unwilling to air their views in public on that issue.

[Oliver Conway]

Vitaly Shevchenko in Washington. And that's all from this special edition of the global news podcast. The Normal podcast will be back very soon. This edition was mixed by Caroline Driscoll and produced by Paul Day and Nikki Verico. Our editors, Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time. Goodbye.