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European Leaders Arrive At White House; Zelenskyy To Arrive At White House Any Moment for Historic Meeting. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired August 18, 2025 - 12:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:30:00]

HALYNA YANCHENKO, MEMBER, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT: -- kilometers. We are talking about cities and villages inhabited by real living people. So we are saying that Ukraine should voluntarily give away these cities and villages to the occupants. But the thing is that over these years, Ukrainians realized what Russian occupation means.

It's not just, you know, ruling the territories. Russians really -- they treat Ukrainians really badly. So people who are under occupation, they're being kidnapped, they're being tortured, they're being murdered. There were atrocities that you probably remember even from your TV shows that were happening in the occupied territories that were de-occupied later on.

We were finding nameless, massive, basically, graveyards in the villages and cities we de-occupied. So neither we as a state nor Ukrainian society wants this kind of fate for the people who still live in, for example, Donetsk region --

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

YANCHENKO: -- the cities and villages controlled by Ukrainian region, finally. So when Putin is saying that we should trade away or give away the land, he's saying that we Ukrainians, we Ukraine, should trade away people. I believe that we can't discuss any kind of trading people.

This kind of, you know, historical mistake is already a part of history. People don't, like, states don't trade their people anymore.

BASH: Can I ask something about what President Trump said just this morning, just a few hours before your President Zelenskyy arrives at the White House? He talked not about the other territories that you were just discussing that have been a part of the current war, but he went back to during the Obama administration, and that is Crimea.

And he said that Zelenskyy could end the war almost immediately if he wanted to give up Crimea and give up his plans to join NATO. Is that something that would --

YANCHENKO: This is in --

BASH: Go ahead. YANCHENKO: To tell the truth, I believe that President Trump is the most powerful leader in the world because he is leading the most powerful country in the world. And that is why I simply don't understand why President Trump is playing along with Putin, with the authoritarian leader who is losing this war, who has killed or wounded 1 million of Russian citizens to actually occupy another sovereign country and kill civilians in the sovereign country, which is Ukraine.

I simply don't understand why President Trump plays along with Putin.

BASH: Well, let me ask --

YANCHENKO: And I believe that -- yes?

BASH: Let me ask you about that.

YANCHENKO: Yes, and Trump has really powerful tool in his hand. He has secondary sanctions that he can apply to Putin and the war will be over pretty soon. If you cut away Putin from the resources to continue this war and by implementation of secondary sanctions, you will definitely cut him out of the resources, then the war will be over.

There is much better, much more -- the way to end this war with a bigger dignity.

BASH: Let me ask you about that because -- and I should also just tell our viewers, that the European leader that you saw arriving as we were listening was the leader of Finland, the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb. You said something very strong there about President Trump. You said that he's playing into Vladimir Putin's hands before the summit on Friday in Alaska.

What you said was that you don't believe in Vladimir Putin. That's a given. But you said you do believe in the United States and in President Trump. Do you still?

YANCHENKO: Exactly. I still have a hope, once again, as a Ukrainian who lives under shelling. Once again, air alarm just started 10 minutes ago in Kyiv and stuff like that. I still have this hope as mother of two children who are now refugees. I want my children to be back home, just as any mother in Ukraine, just as any family which is separated.

We all want this war to be over. But unfortunately, Putin just simply don't stop. So when we are talking about the end of the war, the real, actually, way to end this war is to force Putin. And that is why, in my opinion, I believe that, once again, force or power should be applied to Putin, not to Ukraine or European leaders.

[12:35:03]

This is like more efficient way to actually obtain a sustainable and lasting peace. Once again, why Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, came to U.S. with European leaders? Because Putin's aggression is now not only the problem of Ukraine, but Putin is forming, actually, a coalition of authoritarian regimes joined by Iran, joined by North Korea.

He has fantastic cooperation with China --

BASH: OK.

YANCHENKO: -- and they have basically formed a new military unit, military and economic union of authoritarian regime. And now it's a threat to Europe, but also --

BASH: Yes.

YANCHENKO: -- it's a global threat.

Halyna, we're going to have to leave it there. Thank you so much for joining us on this really, really important day for you and your country. And as you said, the children of Ukraine really appreciate you being here. Thank you.

YANCHENKO: Thank you.

BASH: And we are standing by for more European leaders to arrive at the White House. These crucial negotiations on the future of Ukraine will be starting very soon. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:40:57]

BASH: We're continuing to monitor the White House as key European leaders arrive for a meeting with President Trump. Separately, they met with President Zelenskyy this morning. And President Zelenskyy just posted this about their discussion. Quote, "Together with the leaders of Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the European Commission and the NATO Secretary General, we coordinated our positions ahead of the meeting with President Trump."

And that post includes a video of Zelenskyy hugging various European leaders as they arrived.

CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us now from Kyiv. Ben, we just spoke to a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, was very clear about how they feel, not just politically, but emotionally inside Ukraine as this meeting is about to take place. What are you hearing from your sources inside the Ukrainian government and what are you seeing on the ground there?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the ground, we went, Dana, to a funeral in the middle of Kyiv for a soldier, an artist who had become a soldier and was killed earlier this month on the front lines in the very part of eastern Ukraine that Ukraine might have to surrender to the Russians if Vladimir Putin's demands are met.

And there is real trepidation regarding the situation in -- with Washington at the moment because going back to the beginning of the Trump administration, this country has been on an emotional rollercoaster. Certainly under the Biden administration, there was a certain amount of stability, reliability in terms of what the American position was.

But going back to that first meeting in the Oval Office on the 28th of February between Presidents Zelenskyy and Trump, things have really been up and down. And it was thought in the lead up to the Alaska summit that European leaders had managed to get everyone on the same page in terms of the need to impose sanctions on the Russians if there was no progress made, the need to reach a ceasefire, first of all, that seems to have all changed.

So, as they watch the European leaders gather in Washington along with President Zelenskyy, there is a fear that yet again the onus is back on President Zelenskyy back on Ukraine to make some sort of concessions before this trilateral meeting that could take place Friday. But at this point, we don't really know is going to take place.

And certainly that post on social media by President Trump overnight that basically President Zelenskyy could end this war almost immediately if he wants really drove home the idea that President Trump -- his default position tends to be to side with the Russians against the Ukrainians. So there is profound worry about where this relationship is going.

Dana?

BASH: OK, Ben, thank you so much.

Now let's talk about the Russian perspective. For many in Russia, Friday's Alaska summit was a reset in U.S.-Russia relations. You just heard Ben talk about why now Russian officials are watching the developments out of Washington hoping President Trump will get favorable concessions from President Zelenskyy and Europe's leaders.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow. Fred, what are you hearing there?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Dana. I think we're seeing a really interesting development actually on the part of the Russians because so far we actually haven't heard the Kremlin comment on the meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Trump at all. Also Russian media fairly silent on the matter.

A regular call that the Kremlin has with journalists also didn't happen today. It seems as though the Kremlin and the Russians feel that they are pretty much on the same page as President Trump as far as moving forward with the Ukraine conflict is concerned. Certainly seem to want to give the Trump administration a room on this day to see if that can be forwarded today with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine but of course with the Europeans as well.

[12:45:16]

At the same time though, the Russians have made clear over the past couple of days that they believe that they do see eye-to-eye with President Trump on the matter. Ben just mentioned that social media post where President Trump was saying that Volodymyr Zelenskyy could end the war in Ukraine immediately if the Ukrainians were to give up Crimea and also never become members of NATO.

One of Russia's chief negotiators, Kirill Dmitriev, he also posted that on his social media while reposting President Trump's two social posts. So clearly the Russians believe that that is something that would be in their interest as well.

Vladimir Putin for his part, the last time that he commented on this matter was actually on Saturday right after he got back from Alaska. He was seen in the Kremlin with some of his major Cabinet members and there he said that he was able to lay out Russia's position to the U.S. President in a very calm matter.

He also said that the Russians respect the fact that the U.S. President wants the weapons to be silent in Ukraine as fast as possible. But of course we know that the Russians believe that they've impressed upon the Trump administration their view of things, that there needs to be a negotiations process at the end of which there would be a larger peace agreement.

Certainly, that's what the Russians are going to be looking for whether there's any progress made there. Dana?

BASH: Fred, thank you so much for that report from Moscow. Appreciate it.

And as we were talking to Fred and to Ben in Kyiv, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived at the White House for this summit. So we are now just waiting for the French President Emmanuel Macron to arrive before the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be there and he will be greeted, we understand, by President Trump on the other side of the White House.

Don't go anywhere, a lot more is about to happen. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:51:42]

BASH: Moments ago, you see pictures there of the French President Emmanuel Macron arriving at the White House. That means all of the invited European leaders are now there. And any minute, we expect the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to join them. Unlike the other leaders, Zelenskyy is expected to be greeted by President Trump.

My panel is back now and joining us is Susan Glasser of The New Yorker. Jeff Zeleny, let's just kind of reset with these European leaders where we are now since they are all currently in the White House. We have a picture -- pictures of all of those who were invited for this very, very hastily arranged summit.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: A hastily arranged summit about the future of Ukraine. And that is why all of the European leaders that you see on screen are there. They have arrived within the last hour. Some fairly close allies to use a -- the word sort of loosely of President Trump.

Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, obviously a first among them. He most recently met with President Trump just a couple weeks ago at his golf course in Scotland. And others rushed to be in Washington for these very important meetings.

But it is also clear just the choreography here. President Zelenskyy is the official guest. He is going to arrive right there. The picture you see on screen on the north side of the White House. An official greeting from the U.S. President, exactly like what happened at the end of February six months ago before things very quickly went south inside.

Now we do not expect there to be a replay of that at all. This is a different moment, a different meeting. But this is President Zelenskyy's meeting. And the other European leaders are there for their own interests as well but also to back up their friend and ally.

But again, the President is going to be meeting -- President Trump meeting one-on-one with President Zelenskyy before we're told going into a larger meeting with these allies.

BASH: And this is all happening on the heels of Friday's summit --

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes.

BASH: Between -- bilateral summit between Presidents Trump and Putin. You were in Alaska. It did not end. I mean, nobody knew how it was going to end.

WRIGHT: No.

BASH: But it certainly did not end the way even though the White House is now explaining why they think they got Putin right where they want him effectively.

WRIGHT: Sure.

BASH: That's not how it felt in the moment in the room.

WRIGHT: Yes, the White House has continued to say that so much progress was made and that it was a productive meeting and that that meeting is why they are here now meeting with all of these European officials. But in the room, it felt quite different.

I think a lot of people were just frankly shocked that President Trump in this moment may be the most high-profile press conference of his entire presidency both first term and now this term didn't take questions, something that we know he loves to do.

There were people who were surprised that President Putin of Russia started speaking first over Trump on U.S. soil, something that's not normally happening. And then they basically rushed and got on the plane and you didn't really hear --

BASH: Yes. WRIGHT: -- about the progress really until yesterday with Steve Witkoff. That was kind of the most robust amount of progress that we heard from the White House since Friday. And so I think that the White House believes that they are making progress and that this is the iron --

BASH: Yes.

WRIGHT: -- is hot right now and it's time to strike. But certainly in the moment, it felt a little bit different.

BASH: You see the color guard there at the White House making their way, it looks like they're making their way back from around where they were greeting the European leaders perhaps getting ready to be in place to greet the Ukrainian President. We'll watch for their movements and most importantly the movements of the Ukrainian President.

[12:55:23]

Susan Glasser, I want to bring you in and I want to read to you something that Fiona Hill who worked for many administrations working on the Ukraine issue for as a civil servant. She was a senior director for Russian and European affairs most recently at the National Security Council.

What she said to Politico's playbook she said, "Trump has completely ceded the narrative to -- narrative control to Putin. What Ukraine is just basically getting as a concession is for the Russians to stop fighting and this is Putin's all the way through the 25 years of his presidency which is I'm going to beat you up and my concession is that I stopped beating you up."

Susan?

SUSAN GLASSER, STAFF WRITER, THE NEW YORKER: Yes, I think she makes a very important point here. Donald Trump, you know, went to Alaska and while you can't say anything definitive about it what you can say is that he handed Vladimir Putin the major concession. Remember, he greeted Putin for the first time since Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine with applause and rolled out the actual and not just metaphorical red carpet for him, and in the days since he has adopted Putin's demands and now placed them on Ukraine.

The reason that they're having this summit with European leaders in Ukraine today at the White House is not because of the White House, it's because the European leaders are panicked. This is a full-fledged European security crisis to have the President of the United States amplifying and pushing Russia's demands on Ukraine.

And I think it's a very high-stakes meeting for not just Ukraine but for all the Europeans who have flown here on a moment's notice not because Trump wanted them there but because they needed to be there for their own interests.

BASH: Yes, that's such a good point and that's the conversation we started this hour with and it's a good place to return to, Jill, as we do wait for, again, the European leaders are now all in the White House and what we're waiting for now is for the Ukrainian President to arrive which we believe can happen in the next couple of minutes.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. And, you know, I was struck by what Fred said that the Russians aren't saying much of anything. But I don't think they have to because the way I look at it is, Vladimir Putin is not here in Washington, D.C., but President Trump is presenting, is negotiating, in a sense, for Vladimir Putin and I do not think that that is particularly an exaggeration.

Because if you look at the things that the President, the American President is talking about, they really do jibe precisely with what Vladimir Putin is saying, and even on that issue of security guarantees. You know, Putin, up until pretty recently, was saying, well, no European troops, period.

I don't care whether they're under the flag of NATO or whether they're European, they're not going into Ukraine to guarantee any type of peace. But now he's changed apparently and that is intriguing to me that apparently on Friday in Alaska he said, well, yes, we should have steps that would guarantee -- not guarantee, but would secure the -- make -- ensure the security of Ukraine. That's different.

But I can tell you, you know, just looking at the way the Russians in the more popular media have been dealing with this, they troll Zelenskyy. They don't even call him Volodymyr, which is the Ukrainian version, they call him Vladimir (ph). Yes, the Russian version.

BASH: Final word?

ZELENY: And this is something that President Putin has been trying to delegitimize President Zelenskyy all along really for the last three plus years or so. But I think a question we hope to have an answer to possibly at the end of this very important historic days, will there be a trilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump and Putin? Is it possible that it will be at the end of the week that President Trump has suggested?

This is moving at once fast but also we should point out quite slow. We're three and a half years into the war.

BASH: Yes, that's a good point. Cannot underscore how important this moment is and you are watching it unfold live right here.

That's it for us on Inside Politics but don't go anywhere because CNN's special coverage of the Trump, Zelenskyy, and European Leaders Summit, it's going to continue right now.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this afternoon with major breaking news. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to --