Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin “immediately,” either bilaterally or in a trilateral format that would include U.S. President Donald Trump. “Only Trump can stop Putin today,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv on 22 August after talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Zelensky’s latest appeal follows an 18 August summit at the White House, where Trump pledged that the United States would work with European allies to provide security guarantees for Ukraine under any eventual peace deal. Zelensky said the meeting was their “best yet,” adding that concrete proposals could be formalised within 10 days. Despite those assurances, Kyiv has no agreement with Moscow on convening a leaders’ summit. Zelensky accused the Kremlin of using “every possible tactic” to avoid direct negotiations and warned that Ukraine would press its partners for tougher sanctions should Russia continue to stall. The Ukrainian leader reiterated that additional punitive measures must be ready if Moscow remains “disinclined” to engage. Rutte echoed the need for clear security guarantees, calling Trump’s intervention a breakthrough but stressing that European countries expect a cease-fire before any settlement is finalised.