Russia-Ukraine: Trump calls for peace agreement to end conflict

Kinshasa, August 17^th, 2025 (CPA). – US President Donald Trump has abandoned on Saturday any demand for a prior ceasefire in Ukraine, now advocating a peace agreement to end the conflict, following his meeting in Alaska with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, international media have reported.  ‘This path is the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine,’ Donald Trump has written on his Truth Social network.  ‘A simple ceasefire agreement (…) often does not hold,’ he has added.  According to the same sources, the meeting, which lasted more than three hours, was described as ‘successful’ by Donald Trump and has caused a diplomatic stir in Europe, which is most affected by the conflict but notably absent from Alaska. The Old Continent’s leaders have stated that they are ready to facilitate a summit between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. The latter has said he was ‘grateful for the invitation’ to the White House, six months after being abruptly reprimanded by Donald Trump in the Oval Office, a scene that was broadcast live and caused consternation in many European countries.  ‘If everything goes well at this new bilateral meeting, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin,’ Donald Trump has assured, on Saturday, allowing for the possibility of a tripartite summit.  During his flight back from Anchorage, the US president has spoken with his Ukrainian counterpart, as well as with NATO leaders. The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte have all participated. During these calls, Donald Trump has discussed a security guarantee for Kiev similar to that provided by Article 5 of the NATO treaty, but outside the framework of the Atlantic Alliance.  The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has indicated that the first step would be to define ‘a collective security clause that would allow Ukraine to obtain the support of all its partners, including the United States, who would be prepared to act in the event of another attack’. For his part, the Kremlin leader has declared on Saturday that his meeting with Donald Trump in Anchorage was ‘very useful’ in working towards a resolution of the conflict ‘on a fair basis’, more than three and a half years after the Russian army’s invasion of Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron has warned against the Russia’s ‘propensity not to keep its own commitments’, while Keir Starmer has argued that ‘the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without’ Volodymyr Zelensky. The French president, the British prime minister and the German chancellor have convened a meeting on Sunday with the countries of the ‘coalition of the willing’ allied of Kiev.