Zelenskyy lands in Washington, drops big warning message for Putin as he vows to defend Ukraine’s land ahead of meeting with Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington for the planned high-stakes meeting at the White House on Monday (August 18, 2025) with President Donald Trump and several European leaders. Zelenskyy announced his arrival in Washington on the social media platform X and called for a "lasting" peace to end the war. The Ukrainian president also warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin previously seized Ukrainian land as "a springboard for a new attack." He made the comments before high-stakes meetings at the White House on Monday with President Donald Trump and several European leaders.

While emphasizing that the war should end and that “peace must be lasting,” Zelenskyy said that the people of his country are fighting for their land and independence. He also signaled that Kyiv is in no mood to give up its land and will ensure that what happened in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, will not happen this time around.

The Ukrainian president thanked Trump and America for their support and exuded confidence in his soldiers and said, “I am confident that we will defend Ukraine and effectively guarantee security, and our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner for their support and invaluable assistance.”


“I have already arrived in Washington. Tomorrow I will meet with President Trump. Tomorrow we will also talk with European leaders. I am grateful to the US President for the invitation. We all want to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting. Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our east – part of Donbas – and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack. Or when Ukraine was given so-called “security guarantees” in 1994, but it didn't work,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

“Of course, Crimea should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv after 2022. Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence. Our soldiers are now achieving success in Donetsk and Sumy regions. I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner for their support and invaluable assistance. Russia must end this war, which it started. And I hope that our joint strength with America and our European friends will force Russia to make a real peace,” he added.

The Washington summit comes days after Trump met Putin in Alaska for talks on Ukraine that ended without the ceasefire, which the US president had been insisting was necessary to secure a peace deal. Instead, he backed Putin's plan for a sweeping peace agreement based on Ukraine ceding territory it controls to Russia.

According to media reports, Russia already occupies almost a fifth of Ukraine, including the entire Crimean Peninsula and large portions of an eastern region known as the Donbas.

Zelenskyy will meet Trump at the White House early Monday afternoon (August 18, 2025) before being joined by group of European leaders. Along with von der Leyen, NATO chief Mark Rutte, and the leaders of Britain, Finland, France, Germany, and Italy will be present. Ahead of the Washington meeting, Trump claimed that Zelensky could bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war “almost immediately” if he’s willing to make two major concessions.

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!” Trump proclaimed in a late-night Truth Social post.