Ukraine War News Today - Top Stories and Breaking Updates from Kyiv Post

Here’s a summary of the key remarks made before Trump’s closed-door meeting with European leaders and Zelensky:

Security guarantees

When asked if he was prepared to “redraw the map” to meet Russia’s demands and end the war, Zelensky said he was ready for three-way peace negotiations. 

“Today, there were a lot of attacks, and a one-and-a-half-year-old child was killed. We need to stop this war to stop Russia, and we need support,” he said. “We are ready for trilateral [talks], as the president said.” 

With territorial concessions now looming as a likely reality for Kyiv, here’s Kyiv Post’s breakdown of Russian-occupied regions as of Tuesday, Aug. 12.

The numbers might illustrate why any land-for-peace deal would be a bitter pill for Ukrainians – especially in its current form.

Ukraine’s new government strategic plan rests on four pillars – Security, Dignity, Economy, Recovery – from stronger defense to social support, growth and rebuilding.

Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers has presented its new strategy, setting out 12 priorities with defense and security as the government’s top area of focus. 

Ukraine’s new Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko presented the plan for Ukraine’s future development at a briefing on Monday. 

The US president said that “smart guy” Vladimir Putin told him the practice makes “honest” elections impossible.

US President Donald Trump had on Monday promised to end mail-in voting before the US mid-term elections – three days after claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him the practice makes “honest” elections impossible.

According to Reuters, Trump told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity that “Vladimir Putin, smart guy, said you can’t have an honest election with mail-in voting” after bilateral talks in Alaska on Friday. 

Trump set another, soft two week timeline for peace talks before finishing his remarks. 

“Not very far from now, a week or two weeks, we’re going to know whether or not we solve this or is this horrible, fighting to continue to put our best to get it ended. And I believe we have two willing parties, and usually that’s good news.”

The press was ushered out as Trump’s meeting with Zelensky and European leaders began behind closed doors.

At a press conference beforehand, each leader delivered remarks. Most stressed that security guarantees are essential to Ukraine’s lasting peace, though some – such as Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz – also called for greater pressure on Moscow to achieve a ceasefire before more talks.

At Monday’s meeting with Zelensky and European leaders, Trump said he hoped security guarantees for Ukraine could be finalized the same day.

“We will come to a resolution today, I think, on almost everything, including probably the security,” Trump said.

Behind the table with Trump,  Zelensky and European leaders, Susie Wiles and Steve Witkoff are also seated behind the table at 10 o’clock, flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth.

The meeting between Trump, Zelensky and European leaders have started following the bilateral Zelensky–Trump meeting.

So far, the tone has been postitive, with Trump saying a trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelensky and Putin is in the works, and that he will be there if Zelensky and Putin do meet. 

At the White House, Trump, Zelensky, and European leaders unite – with Russia now accepting Ukraine’s push for security guarantees, as discussions turn to “war lines” and possible concessions.

US President Donald Trump said Russia has agreed to accept security guarantees for Ukraine during a televised meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European partners at the White House after holding one-on-one meetings with Zelensky today and Russian leader Vladimir Putin last week.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Finnish PM Alexander Stubb attended the unprecedented historic gathering in Washington on Monday.

In a high-stakes meeting that could define the future of US-Ukraine relations, President Volodymyr Zelensky demonstrated a masterclass in diplomatic finesse.

As the two leaders faced the press in the Oval Office, Zelensky appeared to have learned the unwritten rules of engaging with the unconventional US president.

A high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky has been met with a mix of cautious optimism and palpable tension from analysts in Washington.

Yuriy Boyechko, the chief executive of the US-based humanitarian organization Hope for Ukraine, told Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent that the meeting so far had yielded “no positives for Ukraine.”

According to Andrew D’Anieri, associate director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, Zelensky “did really well.”

In a high-stakes meeting that could define the future of US-Ukraine relations, President Volodymyr Zelensky demonstrated a masterclass in diplomatic finesse. As the two leaders faced the press in the Oval Office, Zelensky appeared to have learned the unwritten rules of engaging with the unconventional US president.

According to Andrew D’Anieri, associate director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, Zelensky “did really well.”

Analysts in Washington are watching closely as US President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky meet for high-stakes talks, marked by both cautious optimism and underlying tension.

WASHINGTON DC – A high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky has been met with a mix of cautious optimism and palpable tension from analysts in Washington.

Yuriy Boyechko, the chief executive of the US-based humanitarian organization Hope for Ukraine, told Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent that the meeting so far had yielded “no positives for Ukraine.”

Zelensky–Trump bilateral meetibg ended moments ago. Trump is currently greeting European and NATO leaders behind closed doors.

Trump-Zelenskyy meeting still ongoing. We’re expecting Trump to greet the other European leaders soon.

Before Monday’s visit, President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited the White House five times, making the latest visit his sixth. 

The first four visits were made during the tenure of former US President Joe Biden.

The Ukrainian president has been to the White House five times prior to Monday’s summit. His reception has been considerably less warm since Trump took office.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited the White House five times prior to Monday’s summit. 

Zelensky first visited the White House Sept. 1, 2021, during the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. As per the BBC at the time, then US President Joe Biden reassured Zelensky that the US nevertheless remained “firmly committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression” before Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. 

When asked whether US arms aid for Kyiv would continue – and “how much more” Ukraine wanted – both Trump and Zelensky signaled ongoing cooperation.

Trump responded first, stressing that the US is not “giving” but “selling” weapons, before pivoting to criticize his predecessor Joe Biden and accuse him of corruption.

At the White House, Trump and Zelensky said they are ready for trilateral talks with Russia to end the war, and confirmed that American support for Kyiv is holding strong.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has concluded a press conference with US President Donald Trump, who said that “there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war.”

“We’ll have everlasting peace, to answer your question,” he continued.“I hope it will happen immediately. I hope it doesn’t have to go on.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky has presented US President Donald Trump with a letter from First Lady Olena Zelenska to American First Lady Melania Trump.

“My wife, first lady of Ukraine, she gave the letter. It’s not to you – to your wife,” Zelensky said, leading to some laughter in the room.

President Volodymyr Zelensky also joked about suiting up when asked by Brian Glenn, the same reporter who heckled him during his last White House visit. 

Glenn praised Zelensky’s suit, to which Trump said that he had made the same remarks. 

US President Donald Trump hinted that he might make an announcement on US troops assisting with security guarantees “later today” during a press conference before his bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

“We’ll let you know that maybe later today, we’re meeting with seven great people, great countries also, and we’ll be talking about that. They’ll all be involved, but there’ll be a lot of help when it comes to security,” Trump said. 

The pool is now gathering for the Oval Office.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s SUV pulled onto the White House grounds at 1:12 p.m. EST (8:12 p.m. Kyiv time). 

Stefan Korshak, Kyiv Post’s military correspondent, shares his perspective on recent developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Friday was the day of the “Big Summit” between Putin and Trump in Alaska. It was a dumb piece of theater that will have no effect on the war, so last week’s plan AFAIAC holds true here: Ignore it, it’s a waste of time, the whole thing is an insult to a reasonable person’s intelligence.

As if to prove my point, the internet yesterday barfed up an absolutely embarrassing, lickspittle video profiling US-Russian friendship. Two screen grabs attached. I observe that in the present times we live in, we cannot be sure that the video was produced in the White House or in the Kremlin.

Trump has greeted Zelensky at the White House.

Soon before his planned bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump at 1:15 p.m. local time (8:15 p.m. Kyiv time), President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his position – real peace for Ukraine and Europe. 

“Our main goal is a reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe. And it is important that the momentum of all our meetings lead to precisely this result,” he wrote on X half an hour before the meeting.

All the European leaders are already here and now we are waiting for President Volodymyr Zelensky to arrive shortly. 

US officials have reportedly asked Ukrainian officials whether President Volodymyr Zelensky will wear a suit to his meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Monday.

According to Axios, a source “with direct knowledge” of the meeting said: “Zelensky is expected to be wearing the same black jacket he wore to a NATO summit in the Netherlands in June” – adding that “it is going to be ‘suit-style’ but not a full suit.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also arrived at the White House.

The Oval Office looks different today.

A Trump adviser reportedly told US media outlet Axios that “it would be a good sign for peace” if Zelensky wore a suit on Monday.

US officials have reportedly asked Ukrainian officials whether President Volodymyr Zelensky will wear a suit to his meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Monday.

According to Axios, two sources “with direct knowledge” of the meeting said the question had been posed. One of the sources added that Zelensky is expected to be wearing the same black jacket he wore to a NATO summit in the Netherlands in June – adding that “it is going to be ‘suit-style’ but not a full suit.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb have also arrived at the White House.

On Monday, leaders are set to weigh the Kremlin’s conditions, passed to US President Donald Trump during his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

Although details of Trump’s talks with Putin remain undisclosed, reports indicate Moscow is demanding Ukraine cede the Donetsk and Luhansk regions while freezing the current front lines.

NATO chief Mark Rutte was the first to arrive.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived minutes later, followed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer – the third European leader after Rutte and von der Leyen.

Following what many might call a disastrous meeting with US President Donald Trump on Feb. 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky is – as some say – bringing his cards for Monday’s meeting.

The meeting, set for 1:15 p.m. at the White House, will see Zelensky sit down with Trump to discuss Moscow’s proposed terms for ending its invasion of Ukraine.

European leaders are scheduled to arrive at the White House South Portico at noon local time (7 p.m. Kyiv time). They will participate in a lunch at the White House. 

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to arrive at the White House at 1 p.m. (8 p.m. Kyiv time).

In southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia front, a US-made M113 armored-personnel carrier (APC) could be seen flying both the US and Russian flags ahead of Monday’s Kyiv–Washington summit.

A US-made M113 armored-personnel carrier (APC) – now captured by Russian troops – could be seen flying both the US and Russian flags in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia front.

The video began circulating on Monday, following Friday’s Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, talks that Trump hailed as “extremely productive.”

Putin doesn’t want just Czechoslovakia, he wants the Maginot Line, the Low Counties, and Vichy France, with the aid of his American Chamberlain.

The concessions Putin demands from Ukraine – to bring about only a ceasefire, not a peace plan – would give the Kremlin not just territory it cannot take on the battlefield, but would surrender all defensive capability for when Moscow decides to show it still wants Kyiv – and Donald Trump, along with those in his rogue regime, is on track to side with the murderous tyrant.

In the wake of President Trump’s Alaska meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, commentators have expressed their shock with the unfairness of the putative “peace” plan apparently agreed to by the two potentates, as it involves Ukraine handing over several of its cities with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants to murderous Russian occupation in exchange for nothing at all.

European leaders have arrived at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington DC as part of a united front in crucial talks with the US administration as of 11:12 a.m. local time (6:12 p.m. Kyiv time). 

Spotted in front of the Embassy: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, NATO chief Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Trump met with Zelensky and European leaders following Friday’s Alaska talks with Kremlin leader Putin for a potential resolution to the Ukraine war. A Zelensky-Putin summit could be in the works.

The rumored deal proposed by Putin and Trump for Kyiv, as it stands, would be handing what Moscow wanted in 2022 – and more.

Kyiv is being offered surrender, not a deal.

Following Friday’s talks between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, a deal is reportedly in the works that would have Ukraine cede the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (colloquially known as the Donbas) while allowing Moscow to freeze the lines elsewhere. 

Zelensky must enter the White House with skepticism as Trump flirts with territorial concessions and hollow “security guarantees” that echo the betrayal of the Budapest Memorandum.

As President Volodymyr Zelensky and a delegation of European leaders step into the White House today, they do so under the long shadow of the disastrous Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.

What should have been a demonstration of US resolve instead looked like a geopolitical gift to Moscow. Donald Trump, rather than confronting Vladimir Putin, appeared to swallow the Kremlin’s narrative whole – hinting at territorial “swaps” that would condemn more than 200,000 Ukrainians to what many describe as “hell on earth,” in exchange for vaguely worded security guarantees.

Ukraine’s new Flamingo cruise missile boasts a 3,000-km range – much farther than its drones – capable of striking targets beyond the Urals and well into Russia’s Asian territories.

Ukraine just unveiled its new Flamingo cruise missile, with a reported range of more than 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles).

Able to fly farther than most of Kyiv’s long-range drones, Flamingo could strike Russia’s Arctic bases near Murmansk and penetrate beyond the Ural Mountains into the Asian parts of Russia.

Kyiv’s generals have concentrated a big slice of the best units in the AFU to counterattack a 10 x 3 km Russian salient. The Ukrainian troops say they’re winning.

Ukrainian infantry assault groups backed by drones on the ground and in the air have recovered some lost ground and taken Russian prisoners, but fierce counterattack battles involving more than a dozen of Kyiv’s best fighting units were still in progress in the strategically critical eastern Pokrovsk sector, news reports and unit statements said.

A 10-kilometer-deep (6.2-mile-deep) salient carved out by hundreds of infiltrating Kremlin infantry in Ukrainian lines in and around the village Dobropillya is fully contained and a powerful combat grouping assembled in the sector by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) is slowly but successfully mopping up villages and forests in the sector still thought to conceal enemy forces, those reports said.

This is the second strike after Russia previously hit an oil depot of the Azerbaijan oil company SOCAR.

Russia has again targeted energy infrastructure in southern Ukraine, destroying an oil depot operated by Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy company SOCAR. The strike marks the second attack on the facility in less than a month.

The attack set fire to tanks with a combined capacity of more than 16,000 cubic meters, regional authorities and Azerbaijani media Trend and Minval reported.

Kyiv Post speaks to Donald Jensen, a former US diplomat in Moscow who says, “We are only at the beginning… we do not yet know if there will be a serious process or any results at all.”

The meeting between US President Trump and Russian President Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15, aimed at initiating peace negotiations with Ukraine, was one of the strangest in US diplomatic history. Kyiv Post spoke to Russia-expert Donald N. Jensen about how he assessed the anomalies of the summit.

Jensen has worked as a professor of Russian Foreign Policy at Johns Hopkins University and serves as fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, DC. He used to work as a diplomat at the US Embassy in Moscow and a staffer for the US-Soviet arms control negotiations.

AFU’s chief Syrsky says Russia’s gains near Dobropillya came at a heavy cost, while Ukraine bets on AI, drones, and robotic platforms to cut risks on the battlefield.

Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said, while Russian troops suffered defeat in the Sumy sector, they managed to advance 10-12 kilometers toward several Ukrainian settlements near Dobropillya in the Donetsk region.

Russia’s “victorious mood” quickly shifted to despair

In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Syrsky stated:

Zelensky warns against “rewarding” Russia as he heads into high-stakes talks with Trump, European leaders, and NATO after Putin summit fails to deliver ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said ahead of talks with Donald Trump on Monday that Russia should not be “rewarded” for its invasion, after the US leader pressed Ukraine to make concessions in exchange for peace.

The talks, in which European leaders will also take part, follows a Friday summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska that failed to produce a ceasefire in the nearly three-and-a-half-year war.

From one battlefield to another, here is a collection of stories from Latino soldiers fighting across Ukraine.

“We are quite satisfied with the citizens of Colombia,” said Merle, the Ukrainian second-in-command of the 4th Battalion of Khartiia – a brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine.

“They are coming here to protect and defend our motherland and are effective fighters. From the beginning of Khartiia, Colombians have been involved with the most difficult missions alongside some special force units of HUR [Ukraine’s military intelligence].” 

According to the Russian social media citing their sources in law enforcement, the blast was allegedly triggered by a rogue shell detonation.

The death toll from a blast at a gunpowder plant near Moscow rose to 20, with more than 100 wounded, the authorities said on Monday, as a probe began into possible industrial safety violations.

Eleven people were initially reported dead after Friday’s explosion at the Elastik gunpowder and ammunition factory in Ryazan, about 200 kilometres (120 miles) southeast of Moscow, independent media said.

With hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian school leavers applying to undertake degree courses in Ukraine, the emigration of young people does not appear to be a mass phenomenon.

In early August, Ukrainian universities rounded up their admission campaigns, and the results surprised many education experts who were expecting low student numbers. In fact, there were 638,000 applications this year – ten percent more than in 2024.

Currently, Ukraine has around 300 higher education institutions, but by 2030, the Ministry of Education plans to reduce this list to 100 by merging some institutions and closing others. According to a ministry representative, reducing the number of universities is in line with the higher education reforms necessary for European integration.

Russia struck Zaporizhzhia with ballistic missiles, wounding at least 17, ahead Zelensky’s meeting with Trump in Washington.

Russian forces launched a ballistic missile strike on Zaporizhzhia on Monday, Aug. 18, just hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington.

Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration (OVA), reported that two explosions occurred in the city between 9:00 and 9:05 a.m. following a ballistic missile  warning.

Now that Trump’s inclination to appease Putin’s aggression is unignorable, Europeans must step up and guarantee the security Ukraine will lose when Washington colludes with Moscow.

“The most disgraceful thing was to watch American President Donald Trump welcome Putin, a war criminal, with a smile and a red carpet rolled out by American soldiers.”

This was the reaction of many Ukrainians I spoke to after the Alaska Summit. Yet, diplomacy has often required leaders to reach out to their enemies in the hope of stopping bloodshed. This is what President Trump appeared to aim for. He frequently highlights the relentless bombardment of Ukrainian civilians and hundreds of daily casualties on the battlefield, suggesting these weigh heavily on him.  

Retired military officers offer stark warnings ahead of White House talks, suggesting Kyiv may have to make painful concessions as Trump may strong-arm Zelensky on peace deal following Putin summit.

WASHINGTON DC – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is poised to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House this afternoon, in a highly anticipated summit that analysts warn could force Kyiv into a peace deal on Russia’s terms.

The meeting follows a recent US-Russia summit in Alaska, which was criticized by some as a win for the Kremlin.

European leaders vow unity and security guarantees for Ukraine, stressing peace talks must not come under Russian bombs.

Ukraine’s European allies on Sunday projected unity at a “Coalition of the Willing” meeting, welcoming U.S. talk of security guarantees but stressing Kyiv must be involved in discussions about its territory.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a meeting of allies on Sunday to bolster President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hand at a meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday.

Russian drone strikes killed five, including two children, in Kharkiv, with four Shaheds targeting one apartment building. Odesa and Sumy also hit; fires and damage reported, rescue efforts ongoing.

Russian forces attacked Kharkiv early on Aug. 18 with Shahed-type drones, killing seven people - including a 1.5-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy - and injuring at least 18, local officials said.

Regional governor Oleh Synehubov reported that four drones struck a five-story apartment building in the city’s Industrial District, sparking fires on multiple floors. 

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• US officials acknowledged that Putin has yet to demonstrate a willingness to offer the concessions necessary to reach a peace agreement.
• Russia will be unable to seize the remainder of Donetsk Oblast rapidly through force, as Russian forces have failed to do for over a decade. Russia could only rapidly seize all of Donetsk Oblast if Ukraine concedes to Putin’s demand and withdraws from the remainder of the oblast.
• Russian forces have historically thrown themselves into costly campaigns to seize fortified or urban areas in eastern Ukraine, a reality far from Putin’s claims of rapid advances.
• Recent Russian advances northeast of Pokrovsk do not indicate that Russia can rapidly seize fortified or urban areas.
• Russia continues to deny Ukraine’s sovereignty and to demand the right to dictate Ukrainian domestic affairs.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin’s insistence that any peace agreement must address Russia’s perceived “root causes” of the war will make it difficult to reach a peace agreement as rapidly as Trump desires, given the complexity of the “root causes.”
• Russia’s “root causes” extend beyond Ukraine, and eliminating them would require substantial negotiations with NATO.
• Putin’s offer of a Russian law forbidding a future invasion of Ukraine is not credible because Russia has already twice broken previous binding international commitments not to invade and because Putin has shown that he can freely change Russian law as he desires.
• The details about Ukrainian security guarantees to which Putin may have agreed remain unclear at this time, but the Kremlin may be attempting to resurrect its demands about security guarantors from April 2022 that would have neutered such guarantees.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy Oblast and near Toretsk. Russian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk.

Zelensky has arrived in the US for high-stakes talks with Trump and EU leaders on ending the war in Ukraine, with a packed White House schedule ahead.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the United States for high-stakes talks with US President Donald Trump and European leaders.

In a Telegram post, he wrote: “We all equally want to end this war quickly and reliably,” adding that peace must be lasting.

In one of his late-night social media rants, US President lays out his limits after talks with Putin and ahead of meetings with Zelensky and European partners.

In one of US President Donald Trump’s typical late-night social media posts, Trump exclaimed that, in negotiations to end the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s joining NATO and reclaiming Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, are both off the table as far as he is concerned.

“President [Volodymyr Zelensky] of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, on the eve of a White House meeting with the Ukrainian president and European leaders.

A German newspaper reports that European leaders will wait until Trump and Zelensky conclude their meeting at the White House before discussing their thoughts on the peace process over lunch.

US President Donald Trump will meet first with his Ukrainian counterpart on Monday before opening the Oval Office doors to European leaders eager to offer their two Euro-cents and pence on how to bring an end to the 30-month-long full-scale Russian invasion.

European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will join them only afterward, Bild reported.