After Days Of High-Powered Talks On Ending The Ukraine War, What Happens Next?

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington.Donald Trump made a big song and dance out of his long-awaited face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin last week, although it was widely written off as a failure.The US president was unable to get any firm guarantees from his Russian counterpart that he would end the Ukraine war, and instead ended up dropping his own call for a ceasefire in a major concession to Moscow.The president then had another chance to show his support for Kyiv on Monday, when he invited Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seven European leaders – including prime minister Keir Starmer – to the White House to dissect the Putin summit.Trump did promise more security guarantees for Ukraine but did not explain exactly what that might look like.And while all of the Ukraine’s allies – and Putin – played to Trump’s ego in thanking him profusely for trying to bring the war to a close, few concrete promises actually emerged from the talks.So what might happen next? Here’s a look at some of the options.Are there more meetings on the horizon?Trump has promised to arrange a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy in the coming weeks.Moscow has yet to publicly agree, but – if it went ahead – it would mark the first time the two leaders have met face to face since 2019.That informal encounter was set up by European diplomats in a bid to end the fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region, but failed to set up any long-term change as the two countries are still fighting over the land.Trump tried to set up a subsequent meeting in Turkey in May this year, but Putin humiliated him by choosing not to attend.If this new bilateral sit-down actually happened, it would, in theory, be followed by a trilateral with the US president.Could Ukraine’s allies bring in the troops?Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey claimed Britain will most likely end up sending in its own soldiers to support Ukraine.He told Times Radio: “If we are serious about European peace, Vladimir Putin has to be stopped. And we have to work with those brave Ukrainians who have fought this fight against this appalling aggressor and make sure that we are prepared to step up.”Davey also called for more equipment, adding: “Now is the moment to step up and increase our military support to Ukraine with, for example, British tornado jet fighters.“We need to strengthen Zelenskyy’s negotiating hand and send the clearest of signals to the Kremlin that Europe is united, now hopefully, with Donald Trump in supporting Ukraine.”But, according to reports earlier this month, Keir Starmer has already watered down his plans to send a 30,000-strong “reassurance force” from several countries to Ukraine “once hostilities have ceased”.Instead, he has opted for a smaller, more realistic, alternative that might include offering logistical support, armament and training experts.Trump has also ruled out American troops to Ukraine as part of his mysterious security guarantees.Could Europe end up sending more money?Davey also called for the government to utilise the £30 billion of Russian frozen assets in the UK.He said using those funds would both strengthen Ukraine in its defence and send a signal to “all those oligarchs and others in Russia who keep Putin in power”.However, experts at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) previously warned that doing so would impact investment in European assets. “If you invest and hold your central bank reserves in Europe and they get confiscated by the European Union, are you going to do that again,” RUSI’s director at the centre for finance and security Tom Keatinge told ITV News.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, from left, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finland's President Alexander Stubb, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte pose for a group photo in the Grand Foyer of the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington.Could Europe try to offer Ukraine EU membership?Europe cannot offer Nato membership to Ukraine without the US’s approval, and Trump has made it clear he does not want Kyiv in the defence alliance.But the EU could try to protect Ukraine by offering it membership of the bloc, although it would have to go over the member states who do not want Kyiv to join, like Hungary.However, Dr Darren Reid from Coventry University told HuffPost UK that was unlikely.The Assistant Professor of History said making Ukraine a member state risks bringing the bloc into “hot water with Russia”, something it needs “to desperately avoid”.“Europe’s hands are fairly tied at the moment,” Reid said. “What Europe wants to do is keep the US on side and try to invest in whatever solution emerges so that it deters Russia from any future attacks.”Could the frontline be frozen?Reid suggested Europe might agree to freeze the frontline where it is – meaning 20% of Ukraine could end up remaining in Russian hands.He said that for Europe, this would be the “best case scenario”.He continued: “Even if it’s not an official peace treaty, it might end up being a bit more like the armistice that brought the Korean war to an end where there’s no official recognition or official confirmation that certain territories now belong to Russia.”What about Putin?“At the end of the day, it’s up to him to end this war, always has been,” Reid said. “It all comes down really to one man.”He said the end of the war depends on whether the authoritarian leader has proposed conditions Ukraine could accept – and if he means it.“Ultimately what will happen is some kind of deal will be struck,” Reid said. “Perhaps a freeze on the frontline, a land concession made by Ukraine, or – a big or here – the unfreezing of certain assets going to Russia and the lifting of sanctions, readmitting them into the global trade system.“I don’t think Putin will get all of those things, but he might. Any one of those things would be a big advantage to him.”Asked if Europe would step in, Reid said it depends on whether leaders believe it will bring security in the future – because he’s certain Ukraine cannot reclaim its lost territory.He said: “I don’t think there is a huge amount Europe can do other than ask for guarantees and hopefully, end this destructive war on their doorstep.”Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference at Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska.Related...UK Says Putin 'Has Never Been Serious About Peace' After Russian Strikes Kill 10 In UkraineKeir Starmer Splits With Donald Trump On Whether Ukraine Should Be Allowed To Join NatoUK Reveals Deadly Reason Why Putin Wants Ukraine To Hand Over Unoccupied Land To End War

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With an end to the Ukraine war one step closer, just how will the West keep the peace…and could Britain really have boots on the ground? MARK NICOL sets out the options as military leaders thrash out plans

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With an end to the Ukraine war one step closer, just how will the West keep the peace…and could Britain really have boots on the ground? MARK NICOL sets out the options as military leaders thrash out plans