Trump-Putin-Zelensky meeting unlikely
August 19, 2025
Watch insights on the latest news about Europe from Carl Bildt, Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations and former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Sweden.
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"From the European point of view, [it was] pretty disastrous,” Bildt says of Alaska, where Trump "was agreeing with Putin" and hopes for a ceasefire “collapsed.”
The Washington talks brought some relief. With Zelensky and seven European leaders present, Bildt notes “that prevented the worst from happening.” Still, Trump dismissed European calls for a ceasefire and pushed for direct talks between Zelensky and Putin. A plan that Bildt calls unrealistic.
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