PUTIN AND TRUMP VS. ZELENSKY AND EUROPE: If there was any doubt that President Donald Trump bowed completely to President Vladimir Putin’s demands in Alaska on Friday, one need only read the president’s own words in his post-summit posts on Truth Social.
Going into the meeting, Trump was adamant that Putin must agree to an immediate ceasefire as the basis for further peace negotiations. If he said it once, he said it at least a dozen times, including on Air Force One on the way to Anchorage. “I won’t be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire,” he told Fox News anchor Bret Baier. He also promised “economically severe” consequences, telling other reporters on the plane, “It will be very severe. I’m not doing this for my health.”
But Trump emerged from his meeting with the wily Putin a changed man, and an advocate for Putin’s vision of how the war should end on Russia’s terms. “It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday, implying that after his phone call with Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky and European allies were now on the same page with Putin. They are not.
Then, last night, Trump posted again, seeming to have reverted to his old position blaming Zelensky for allowing the war to start and failing to act to end it. “President Zelensky of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump said, insisting Zelensky give up on ever reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO. “No getting back Obama given Crimea … and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”
ZELENSKY: ‘FIRST WE HAVE TO STOP THE KILLINGS’: Zelensky arrived in Washington late last night, ready to do battle with Trump and resist his call to surrender territory to appease Putin. And painfully aware of how he was severely berated during his February Oval Office meeting by Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, he’s bringing reinforcements in the form of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing,” which includes leaders from every major U.S. NATO ally.
Addressing a virtual meeting of the European Commission on Sunday before departing for the U.S., Zelensky laid out his conditions — rejecting any handover of territory that remains under Ukraine’s control, as well as any negotiations without a ceasefire.
“First, we have to stop the killings. Putin has many demands, but we do not know all of them. If there are really as many as we heard, then it will take time to go through them all. It is impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons. So it’s necessary to cease fire and work quickly on a final deal,” Zelensky said.
“Russia is still unsuccessful in the Donetsk region, Putin has been unable to take it for 12 years. And the Constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land,” Zelensky said. “Since the territorial issue is so important, it should be discussed only by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at the trilateral – Ukraine, United States, Russia. So far, Russia gives no sign the trilateral will happen, and if Russia refuses, then new sanctions must follow.”
“Our position is clear,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, standing next to Zelensky. “International borders cannot be changed by force. These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table.”
PUTIN DEMANDS: GIVE ME WHAT I CANNOT TAKE: Much is unknown about Putin’s specific demands, but it’s been widely reported that Putin proposed to freeze the front line in Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts in exchange for Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donetsk and surrender that territory to Russia. Citing an Axios report, the Institute for the Study of War said Putin told Trump that Russia could seize all of Donetsk Oblast, if he wanted to, a claim which the ISW rated as “false.”
“Russian forces have been bogged down in campaigns to seize multiple towns and cities in Donetsk Oblast since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and Russian forces are still struggling to achieve the objectives of several of these campaigns today,” the ISW said in its Sunday update. “Seizing the remainder of Donetsk Oblast will very likely take Russian forces multiple years to complete after several difficult campaigns.”
That assessment was supported by the British Defense Ministry’s Friday intelligence update posted on X. “Based on the rate of Russia’s incremental battlefield advances so far in 2025, it would take Russia more than 4.4 years to gain 100% of the four Ukrainian oblasts’ territory,” the assessment said. Based on Russia’s average daily casualty rate, the U.K. assessment calculates that “4.4 more years of war would lead to approximately 1,903,000 further casualties (dead and wounded).”
“Putin’s armies could not conquer Donbas for the last 11 years, so now the Russian imperialist dictator is asking the leader of the free world to give it to him,” former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul posted on X. “Asking Ukrainians to give up land that they now control — land where Ukrainians live! — to try to appease Putin will go down in history as one of the most tragic moments in American diplomacy.
THE REALITY OF WHERE THINGS STAND ON THE UKRAINE BATTLEFIELD
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HAPPENING TODAY: THE WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT: “Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!” President Trump posted on Truth Social last night. “The Fake News will say that it is a big loss for President Trump to host so many great European Leaders at our beautiful White House. Actually, it is a great honor for America!!!” Trump said.
According to a schedule released by the White House press office, Trump plans to meet first separately in a “bilateral” meeting with Zelensky and then later in the afternoon in a “multi-lateral” session with European leaders including British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
On CBS’s Face the Nation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio scoffed at the notion that the European leaders were there to prevent a repeat of the tongue-lashing that Zelensky suffered in his last Oval Office meeting. “This is such a stupid media narrative that they’re coming here tomorrow because Trump is going to bully Zelensky into a bad deal,” Rubio told host Margaret Brennan. “They’re not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelensky from being bullied. They’re coming here tomorrow because we’ve been working with the Europeans,” Rubio said. “We’ve been working with these people for weeks, for weeks on this stuff. They’re coming here tomorrow because they chose to come here tomorrow. We invited them to come.”
Here’s the schedule for the day:
- 12 p.m. — European leaders arrive at the White House
- 1 p.m. — Trump greets Zelensky
- 1:15 p.m. — Trump and Zelensky have a bilateral meeting
- 2:15 p.m. — Trump greets European leaders
- 2:30 p.m. — Framily photo of Trump and all the leaders including Zelensky
- 3 p.m. — Multilateral meeting with Trump and European leaders in the East Room
ZELENSKY TO MEET WITH TRUMP IN DC ON MONDAY AFTER ‘NO DEAL’ REACHED IN PUTIN SUMMIT
RUBIO: ‘THEY JUST HAVE MORE MEAT TO GRIND’: It was clear from both what Trump has said since the summit and what Rubio said in various Sunday show appearances yesterday, that the Trump administration is buying Putin’s argument that he can just keep fighting indefinitely, if Ukraine doesn’t capitulate to his demands. Asked in a Friday night interview with Sean Hannity on Fox what he will say to Zelensky, Trump said, “Got to make a deal … Look, Russia’s a very big power. And they’re not.“
“They’re a full-time war machine. I mean, that’s what’s happening. The Russian economy has basically been turned into a full-time wartime economy,” Rubio said on CBS. “It’s a big country. It’s not just large geographically. It has huge populations. It continues to churn through people. You know, they lost — 20,000 Russian soldiers were killed last month in July in this war. That just tells you the price they’re willing to pay.”
“I’m saying that this is the reality of the war that we’re facing. It’s become attrition in some ways. It’s a meat grinder, and they just have more meat to grind,” Rubio said.
If Trump had followed through on his threat of secondary sanctions, it would have killed any chance of peace, Rubio argued. “The moment the president puts those additional sanctions, that’s the end of the talks. You’ve basically locked in at least another year to year-and-a-half of war and death and destruction.”
Asked if Putin made any concessions in his talk with Trump, Rubio wouldn’t give any specifics. “I think there’s some concepts that were discussed that could potentially lead to something. But, again, all these things have to be verifiable. It isn’t real until it’s real,” he said.
“We want to wind up with a peace deal that ends this war, so Ukraine can go on with the rest of their lives and rebuild their country and be assured that this is never going to happen again,” he said. “It will require both sides to make concessions. It will require both sides to get things they’re asking for. That’s how these deals are made, whether we like it or not.”
TRUMP TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO ZELENSKY FOLLOWING PUTIN SUMMIT: ‘MAKE A DEAL’
PUTIN’S SWEET NOTHINGS: Before Trump and Putin met in Alaska, longtime Kremlin watchers predicted Putin would draw on his KGB experience to flatter, charm, and manipulate Trump. Anyone who deals with Trump knows the president is a big fan of being told what he wants to hear. And according to Trump’s own account in his interview with Hannity, Putin laid it on thick.
“The meeting was a very warm meeting. He’s a strong guy. He’s tough as hell and all of that,” Trump said. “I think the meeting was a 10, in the sense that we got along great.”
Among the things Putin told Trump to massage his ego was that he is right to make the unprovable claim that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine had Trump been in office in 2022. “I was very happy to hear him say, if I was president, that war would have never happened,” Trump said.
Trump was also very happy to hear Putin say the 2020 election was rigged. “Vladimir Putin said something, one of the most interesting things,” Trump told Hannity. “He said, ’Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting.’” He said, “No country has mail-in voting. It’s impossible to have mail-in voting and have honest elections.”
“And if you would have won, we wouldn’t have had a war. You would have all these millions of people alive now, instead of dead.” And he said: “‘And you lost it because of mail-in voting. It was a rigged election.'”
“I always had a great relationship with President Putin, and we would have done great things together,” Trump said.
[Editor’s note: This is election advice from a man who has rigged every election he was involved in, murdered his political opponents, and changed the Russian Constitution so he can rule for life.]
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Zelensky to meet with Trump in DC on Monday after ‘no deal’ reached in Putin summit
Washington Examiner: European leaders celebrate Trump-Putin summit as Russian strikes continue: ‘Glimmer of hope’
Washington Examiner: Trump-Putin summit top takeaways: Jumping the line, Russia hoax, and Moscow visit?
Washington Examiner: Trump turns his attention to Zelensky following Putin summit: ‘Make a deal’
Washington Examiner: ‘No deal until there’s a deal’: Trump sums up Putin meeting in surprisingly brief press conference
Washington Examiner: Trump-Putin summit: The reality of where things stand on the Ukraine battlefield
Washington Examiner: Government papers containing details on Trump-Putin summit found in printer of Alaskan hotel: Report
Washington Examiner: US deploying military assets to Caribbean as part of cartel mission
Washington Examiner: Democrats attack Noem for living rent-free in Coast Guard building after she was doxed
Washington Examiner: Pentagon clarifies Hegseth supports women’s right to vote
Task & Purpose: 3 States Sending 700 National Guard Troops to DC
Washington Post: Kristi Noem is living rent free in home used by Coast Guard commandant
Bloomberg: Trump’s Pause on Ukraine Aid Hurt Its Readiness, Watchdog Finds
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Strategy & Policy: NATO Members Sign Up for More Spending
Breaking Defense: Beware ‘Drone-Tastic’ Thinking: UK Armed Forces Chief Says ‘Traditional’ Capabilities Still Matter
AP: Australian and Philippine Forces Launch Largest Military Exercises near Disputed South China Sea
Defense One: Trump Aims to Foster Space Industry by Cutting Environmental Regulation
NPR: Government papers found in an Alaskan hotel reveal new details of Trump-Putin summit
DefenseScoop: Feinberg Orders Major Shakeup in Pentagon’s AI Enterprise
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Pauses Some PCS Moves amid Budget Shortfall
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Independent Federal Study to Probe Cancer Among Military Aviators Under New Law
Defense News: Deep-Space Radar Hits Key Testing Milestone
DefenseScoop: Air Force Experimenting with AI Microservices During New Battle Management Wargame Series
THE CALENDAR:
MONDAY | AUGUST 18
9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Preview of the Trump-Lee Summit,” with Victor Cha, CSIS Korea chair; Sydney Seiler, CSIS Korea chair; and William Alan Reinsch, CSIS chair in international business https://www.csis.org/events/impossible-state-live-podcast
11 a.m. — Foreign Policy virtual discussion: “Debriefing the Trump-Putin Summit,” with Andrea Kendall-Taylor, director, Center for a New American Security Transatlantic Security Program; Sergey Radchenko, professor, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Center for Global Affairs; and Ravi Agrawl, editor-in-chief at Foreign Policy https://foreignpolicy.com/live/trump-putin-summit-alaska/
TUESDAY | AUGUST 19
8:25 a.m.801 N Glebe Rd., Arlington, Virginia — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement “2025 Counter UAS Summit,” August 19-20, with Lewis Monroe, associate administrator and chief of the National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Defense Nuclear Security https://www.idga.org/events-counteruas-usa
10 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “Can the U.S. Broker A Durable Agreement Between Russia and Ukraine? Analyzing the Trump-Putin Summit,” with Andrew Weiss, CEIP vice president for studies; Aaron David Miller, CEIP senior fellow; and Eric Ciaramella, Ukraine initiative director, CEIP Russia and Eurasia Program https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/08/can-the-us-broker-a-durable-agreement
11:30 a.m. — Advanced Technology Academic Research Center virtual discussion: “Space Innovation and Defense Working Group Kickoff Roundtable,” with retired Maj. Gen. John Olson, president, chairman and CEO of AXIONS Corporation; Peter Guinto, senior technical adviser for contract pricing at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; and Gordon Deng, cloud customer engineer and acting portfolio lead at U.S. Space Force Gravity Platform https://atarc.org/event/space-innovation-and-defense-working-group-virtual-roundtable/
2 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Counterterrorism and U.S. Strategy,” with Sebastian Gorka, senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council https://www.hudson.org/events/counterterrorism-us-strategy
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 20
8:55 a.m. 801 N Glebe Rd., Arlington, Virginia — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement “2025 Counter UAS Summit,” with Col. Scott McLellan, military deputy of the Army Joint C-sUAS Office https://www.idga.org/events-counteruas-usa
9 a.m. — Peterson Institute for International Economics virtual discussion: “Are the Sanctions on Russia Finally Working?” with Torbjorn Becker, director, Stockholm School of Economics Institute of Transition Economics; Elina Ribakova, vice president of foreign policy, Kyiv School of Economics; and Cecilia Malmstrom, PIIE nonresident senior fellow https://www.piie.com/events/2025/are-sanctions-russia-finally-working
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Future of U.S.-Australia Critical Minerals Cooperation,” with Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd; and Gracelin Baskaran, director, CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program https://www.csis.org/events/future-us-australia-critical-minerals-cooperation
10 a.m. — New America virtual book discussion: Great Power, Great Responsibility: How the Liberal International Order Shapes U.S. Foreign Policy, with author Michael Poznansky, associate professor, Naval War College Strategic and Operational Research Department https://www.newamerica.org/planetary-politics/events/great-power-great-responsibility
2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual media briefing: “Previewing White House Visit of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung,” with Victor Cha, CSIS Korea chair; Philip Luck, director, CSIS Economics Program; Sydney Seiler, CSIS Korea chair; and Katrin Fraser Katz, CSIS Korea chair https://www.csis.org/events/press-briefing-previewing
8 p.m. — Jews United for Democracy and Justice virtual discussion: “How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine,” with retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, former director for European affairs at the National Security Council; and Madeleine Brand, host of the daily news and culture show Press Play https://www.jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/blog/event
THURSDAY | AUGUST 21
10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution discussion: “Replicator and Beyond: The Future of Drone Warfare,” with T.S. Allen, former director of Replicator-1 at the Defense Department Defense Innovation Unit; former Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger; and Aditi Kumar, former principal deputy director of Replicator-1 at the Defense Department Defense Innovation Unit https://www.brookings.edu/events/replicator-and-beyond-the-future-of-drone-warfare/
2 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE — Heritage Foundation discussion: “Trump New Counterterrorism Strategy Landscape,” with Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council; and James Jay Carafano, senior counselor to the president and fellow at the Heritage Foundation https://www.heritage.org/terrorism/event/trump
FRIDAY | AUGUST 22
10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “Deterrence in the Balance: Arms Control, Modernization, and Strategic Resolve,” with Mike Albertson, former senior adviser in the Office of the Secretary of Defense Office of Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/deterrence-in-the-balance
