Learning English from the News

Upper intermediate level

Ukraine: Presidents discuss end to war

Episode 250813 / 20 Aug 2025

(Photo by Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The story

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky returned to the White House on Monday to meet US President Donald Trump for new talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Several European leaders also flew to Washington to attend the meeting, days after Trump met Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

The leaders discussed a possible ‘security guarantee’ which would involve European countries and the US helping protect Ukraine if a peace deal was reached with Russia. 

Donald Trump says he doesn’t believe a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia is necessary to end the war and that an agreement can be reached between the countries.

But other leaders are concerned about negotiations, and don’t want to accept Putin’s demands – for example, to keep land captured by Russian forces in Ukraine.

News headlines

What both sides want from crunch talks at the White House
BBC News

Europe’s Leaders Headed Off Giveaway to Putin, but Emerged Without a Clear Path
New York Times

Four key takeaways from Trump’s White House summit on Ukraine
The Guardian

Key words and phrases

crunch talks
important and urgent discussions

  • The company is in crunch talks with investors about funding for the future.

head something off
stop something unwanted from happening

  • The property developers organised a meeting with residents to head off any problems with their building plans.

takeaway
important piece of information to know or remember

  • One takeaway from the latest crime statistics is that car theft is on the rise.

Next 

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