President Donald Trump was overheard on a hot microphone on Monday, August 18, discussing with French President Emmanuel Macron that Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed a desire to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine specifically for Trump, labeling the idea as “crazy,” shortly before an important White House meeting.
“I think he wants to make a deal,” Trump whispered to Macron in the East Room as they prepared for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven European leaders. “I think he wants to make a deal for me, you understand that? As crazy as it sounds.”
The candid moment offered insight into Trump’s perspective on his rapport with the Russian leader after their Friday, August 15 summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. This meeting marked the first in-person interaction between current American and Russian presidents since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
During the White House session on Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte commended Trump’s commitment to providing security assurances for Ukraine, describing it as a significant advancement. Rutte informed Trump during the multilateral conference that Trump’s readiness to engage in the security assurances signaled a major breakthrough that could be pivotal.
Trump’s special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, who was part of the Alaska summit, asserted they secured significant concessions from Putin. Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, Witkoff stated that Russia agreed to allow the United States and European allies to offer Ukraine security guarantees similar to NATO’s collective defense mandate.
Witkoff described the arrangement as “Article 5-like protection,” referring to NATO’s principle that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members. He termed the Russian agreement as “game-changing” and noted it was “the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that.”
According to Witkoff, Putin also pledged legislative measures to prevent Russia from seizing more Ukrainian territory or violating European sovereignty following any peace agreement. The envoy mentioned that the Alaska discussions addressed “almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal.”
However, Russia quickly disputed these claims. The Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement Monday categorically denying any scenarios involving NATO forces in Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated its longstanding opposition to any plans involving the deployment of a NATO military contingent in Ukraine, as reported by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. The ministry warned that such a move could lead to an uncontrolled escalation of the conflict with unpredictable outcomes.
The conflicting statements underscored the challenges facing Trump’s peace initiative as he attempts to mediate an end to the conflict that has persisted for nearly four years. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the hurdles ahead, telling ABC News that “we’re still a long ways off” from achieving a peace agreement, despite identifying “potential areas of agreement.”
Following the White House meeting, Trump announced he had contacted Putin to start arranging a direct meeting between the Russian president and Zelensky. Trump stated he envisions this bilateral meeting being followed by trilateral talks that would include him as a mediator.
The European leaders who attended Monday’s session—including French President Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen—traveled to Washington, DC at short notice to coordinate their response to Trump’s diplomatic efforts.
President Macron, when questioned about Trump’s hot microphone comment during an NBC News interview on Monday evening, expressed optimism about the president’s confidence. “I think this is great news, and indeed, your president is very confident about this capacity to get this deal done with President Putin, and it’s great,” he told host Kristen Welker.
Trump has ruled out Ukrainian membership in NATO as part of any peace agreement but indicated that European nations could provide NATO-like security protections for Ukraine. He also stated that Ukraine would not regain Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, describing such hopes as “impossible.”
The discussion on security guarantees represents a potential compromise between Ukraine’s desire for NATO membership and Russia’s opposition to such a move. European Commission President von der Leyen welcomed Trump’s willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees, stating the European Union was “ready to do its share” in any coalition arrangement.
Ukrainian officials have expressed cautious optimism about the security guarantee proposals while emphasizing the need for concrete details. Zelensky said Ukraine would consider purchasing $90 billion in American weapons as part of any security arrangements but stressed the importance of guarantees that would work “in practice like Article 5 of NATO.”
The White House meetings occurred as Trump faces pressure to fulfill his campaign promise to end the Ukraine conflict quickly. During his presidential campaign, he repeatedly claimed he could resolve the war within 24 hours of taking office, though the complex diplomatic challenges have proven more daunting than anticipated.
Trump’s approach has shifted from demanding an immediate ceasefire to focusing on a comprehensive peace agreement. This change followed the Alaska summit, where Putin reportedly outlined his demands for ending the conflict, including Ukrainian territorial concessions and neutrality commitments.
Despite the diplomatic activity, significant obstacles remain to achieving a lasting peace agreement. Russia continues to demand control over Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and insists on Ukrainian neutrality, while Ukraine’s constitution prohibits ceding territory to foreign powers. The timeline for potential Putin-Zelensky talks remains unclear, though some officials suggest such a meeting could occur within two weeks.
