---
title: "Germany's Merz says Putin, Zelensky to meet within next two weeks"
description: "WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz credited U.S. President Donald Trump with persuading Russia's President to agree to a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-08-19-germanys-merz-says-putin-zelenskiy-to-meet-within-next-two-weeks/"
published: "2025-08-19T04:39:52"
updated: "2025-08-19T08:15:43"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 204
---

# Germany's Merz says Putin, Zelensky to meet within next two weeks

> WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz credited U.S. President Donald Trump with persuading Russia's President to agree to a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.

By Reuters · Published 19 August 2025, 06:39 SAST · Updated 19 August 2025, 10:15 SAST

## Key points
- In a diplomatic game of chicken, European leaders are rallying behind Ukraine, while the world waits to see if Putin will muster the courage to show up for a summit that could either thaw tensions or plunge them deeper into the frost.
- Vladimir Putin's participation in a proposed summit with Ukrainian President Zelensky remains uncertain, prompting calls for persuasion.
- A phone conversation between Trump and Putin led to an agreement for a meeting within two weeks.
- Trump plans to extend a three-way meeting invitation to facilitate negotiations.
- European leaders emphasized the need for collective security guarantees for Ukraine, with U.S. support highlighted.

## Content

By Andreas Rinke

This meeting, to which Vladimir Putin agreed during a phone call with Trump, would take place at a yet-to-be-determined location, the German chancellor said.

"We don't know whether the Russian president will have the courage to attend such a summit. Therefore, persuasion is needed," said Merz, who was part of a delegation of European leaders who travelled to Washington on Monday to lend support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

During a break in the meeting, "the American president spoke with the Russian president on the phone and agreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks," he told reporters.

Trump had agreed to extend another invitation to a three-way meeting afterward, so that negotiations could "truly begin", added Merz.

The German chancellor said Trump was impressed that the Europeans had come with a unified front, and their discussions with the U.S. administration would now turn to details on security guarantees for Ukraine.

"It is absolutely clear that the whole of Europe should participate," said Merz, praising Trump's announcement that the United States is also prepared to provide them.

(Reporting by Thomas Escritt and Andreas Rinke, Writing by Miranda Murray)