Zelensky in Berlin for High-Level Talks With Trump, NATO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will arrive in Germany on Wednesday, Aug. 13, where he will take part in a video conference with US President Donald Trump.

According to the Bild news outlet, Zelensky will arrive in Berlin today for an online meeting alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Presidential spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov confirmed:

“The President is working in Berlin today. There will be a bilateral meeting with Federal Chancellor Merz, then they will participate in a video conference with European leaders, NATO Secretary General [Mark] Rutte, and US President  Trump together.”

Following the meeting, statements by Zelensky and Merz to the media are expected at approximately 4:00 p.m. Berlin time (5:00 p.m. Kyiv time). 

As of 1 p.m. Zelensky arrived in Berlin, a source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP.

“We have arrived,” the source said. 

Leaders from Ukraine and across Europe will hold three high-level online meetings with Trump on Wednesday ahead of his summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

The first video conference at 12:00 GMT will include Trump, Zelensky, NATO Secretary Mark Rutte, and leaders from Germany, Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland, and the EU, hosted by Merz.

At 1300 GMT, Trump and US Vice President JD Vance will meet separately with European leaders, followed at 14:30 GMT by a “coalition of the willing” session on support for Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached.

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European allies insist no peace deal should be made without Kyiv, warning that international borders must not be altered by force. 

Protests are planned in Anchorage, where Putin will arrive Thursday, with organizers calling him an “international war criminal” in reference to the ICC arrest warrant.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the summit a “feel-out meeting,” saying Trump wanted to personally assess Putin. 

Zelensky, however, called it a “personal victory” for the Russian leader and vowed Ukraine would not withdraw from the occupied Donbas region, warning that such a move would invite further Russian offensives.

The Anchorage summit will be the first meeting between a sitting US and Russian president since 2021. Zelensky said he had received a signal from Washington that Moscow might agree to a ceasefire – the first such hint from the Kremlin.