The Kremlin’s goal is to destabilize Europe, and attacks on infrastructure are a preferred weapon, a new report said.

As President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top European leaders to energize months of stalled U.S.-led efforts to halt Russia's 3 1/2-year-old war, the tone and style of the sit-down was far different than when Zelenskyy was hounded out of the White House in February.

As the White House hosted talks aimed at bridging big differences between the United States and Ukraine over a peace deal with Russia, an image claimed to show France's president sitting outside the Oval Office with other top officials spread in posts mocking Europe's leaders.

Vladimir Putin has agreed to face-to-face talks with Volodymyr Zelenskiy to discuss a peace deal in Ukraine, according to Donald Trump and European leaders, although Moscow has not confirmed the meeting.

Leaders of five European nations, plus the European Commission and NATO, are meeting with presidents Trump and Zelenskyy Aug. 18. Here's who they are.

President Donald Trump smiles widely during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds—AFP via Senior Correspondent This article is part of The D.

President Trump met with European leaders on Monday to discuss the war in Ukraine alongside the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, amid a push from the White House for an end to the

European shares opened higher and oil prices slid on Tuesday before a key meeting of central bankers and as traders evaluated promising diplomatic signals toward ending hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.

European leaders may have rushed to Washington ostensibly to throw a protective arm around President Zelensky and head off any repeat of February's Oval Office bust-up. But their real aim is to stop US President Donald Trump threatening long-term European security after his abrupt change of course over how best to end the war in Ukraine.