Trump announced on August 18 that he called Putin to urge him to meet with Zelensky as part of his up-to-date push to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. That call came after a day of high-level diplomacy, in which Trump met with Zelensky and seven European leaders in Washington.
The U.S. president described the meetings as “very good” in a Truth Social post, adding that he wants a trilateral summit with himself, Zelensky, and Putin. Trump also indicated that European nations were discussing security guarantees for Ukraine “with a coordination with the United States of America,” though he did not specify what that coordination would entail.
Lavrov, however, offered a different perspective during the interview aired on August 24. He argued that Ukraine’s security should be guaranteed by a wider international group, including the United Nations Security Council.
He noted that Putin and Trump discussed the question of guarantees and referenced the failed Istanbul talks in 2022, where Russia and Ukraine debated the idea of Ukraine’s permanent neutrality in exchange for security assurances from the Security Council’s five permanent members — the United States, Britain, France, China, and Russia — along with other potential partners.
About the Author
