Is there hope for a trilateral meeting between the US, Russia, and Ukraine? The US and Ukraine have a positive attitude, but Putin did not mention a meeting about peace.

After the meeting between the leaders of Russia and the United States in Alaska, President Trump stated on the 16th that he would meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House on the afternoon of the 18th Eastern Time. If everything goes well, a meeting between the leaders of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine will be arranged next. In response, Zelensky expressed Ukraine's support for the proposal to hold a trilateral meeting between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. Putin did not mention the content of the trilateral meeting in the meeting held at the Kremlin on the 16th. The trip to Washington on the 18th will be Zelensky's first visit to the United States since meeting with Trump at the White House in February this year. Zelensky stated that he will discuss "all details" to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In addition, it was reported that after being excluded from the meeting in Alaska, European leaders have been invited to Washington to meet with Zelensky and Trump on the 18th. Will the Washington meeting outline the agenda for the US-Russia-Ukraine trilateral meeting? After the meeting in Alaska, Trump had a 90-minute phone call with Zelensky, discussing the possibility of a direct dialogue between the US, Russia, and Ukraine. Zelensky publicly supported this idea, emphasizing that "key issues should be discussed at the leadership level." Analysts believe that the meeting in Washington on August 18th, will not only be a bilateral contact but could also pave the way for a future trilateral mechanism. The US media believes that outlining the agenda for the trilateral meeting during this meeting would be the most significant diplomatic progress since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The European Union and several European countries issued a joint statement on the 16th, stating their commitment to prepare for a US-Russia-Ukraine trilateral meeting. However, specific measures from the European side for the Washington meeting are currently unknown. Sources: Trump hopes to hold the trilateral meeting as early as the 22nd On the 16th, according to the US Axios news network, two sources stated that President Trump hopes to arrange a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelensky as early as August 22nd. However, this news has not yet been confirmed by US officials. Putin hopes to resolve the Ukraine crisis peacefully without mentioning the trilateral meeting Regarding the trilateral meeting between the US, Russia, and Ukraine, there have been no clear statements from the Russian side. During the meeting on the 16th, Putin expressed his hope to resolve the Ukraine crisis peacefully but did not mention the trilateral meeting. Putin convened a meeting at the Kremlin on the 16th, briefing the Russian President's Office, government, State Duma (lower house of parliament), and heads of relevant ministries and units on the meeting between the Russian and US leaders. Putin stated that the meeting in Alaska was candid and fruitful, with discussions on almost all areas of cooperation, particularly on the possibility of resolving the Ukraine crisis on a fair and just basis. Putin said that it has been a long time since Russia and the US had direct talks at such a level, giving Russia the opportunity to expound its position calmly and in detail. He emphasized that Russia respects the US government's position on the need to swiftly end the military conflict and hopes to resolve all issues through peaceful means. US to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, specific details unknown On the 15th, Trump stated that he and Putin had essentially reached an agreement on the US providing some form of security guarantees to Ukraine during the meeting in Alaska. On the 16th, foreign media reported that the specific details of these security guarantees are still unclear. German Chancellor Merkel stated in an interview with German television channel ZDF on the 16th that the US was prepared to provide security guarantees to Ukraine rather than leaving it entirely to Europe. AFP cited Italian Prime Minister Meleno and other sources on the 16th, stating that during the phone call with Zelensky and other European leaders that day, Trump proposed to provide security guarantees to Ukraine. Sources mentioned that these security guarantees are similar to NATO's collective defense clause but have some differences. Another source stated that it is unclear why Russia would essentially agree with the US on security guarantees when it has explicitly opposed NATO providing substantial security guarantees to Ukraine. Conflict continues: Russia claims control of two settlements, while Ukraine claims to have destroyed Russian drones The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the 16th that in the past day, Russian forces took control of a settlement in the Dnipro-Donetsk region. Russian forces conducted strikes on Ukrainian ammunition depots, long-range drone storage sites, destroying 5 Ukrainian guided aerial bombs, 1 American-made "Hamas" rocket, and 169 drones. The Ukrainian Air Force stated on the 16th that on the night of the 15th to the early morning of the 16th, Russia launched a ballistic missile at Ukraine. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated on the 16th that there were 139 ground clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the past 24 hours. Ukrainian forces attacked Russian military equipment concentrations, command posts, and ammunition depots, destroying 152 Russian drones. Source of this article: CCTV News client; GMTEight editor: Wang Qiujia.