August 19, 2025 • 13 mins
In this Briefing, Jon Decker breaks down a pivotal day at the White House as President Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. The talks struck a more hopeful tone than past meetings, with both leaders expressing cautious optimism about peace prospects. European leaders joined the discussions, weighing in on security guarantees and the challenges of negotiating a ceasefire. Decker explores the shifting dynamics of international diplomacy and what this moment could mean for Ukraine’s path toward resolution. The White House Briefing Room can be heard daily on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the White House Briefing Room for Tuesday, August
the nineteenth. I'm John Decker. Monday was a monumental and
I believe historic day at the White House. President Trump
and his European counterparts expressed optimism about the prospects for
ending the war in Ukraine.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
We've had a lot of good discussions, with a lot
of good talks, and I think the progress is being made,
very substantial progress in many ways.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
This was a return trip to Washington for Ukrainian President
Voladimir Zelenski. The last time Zelenski was in the Oval
Office was back in February February twenty eighth, when he
received that verbal lashing from both President Trump and from
Vice President JD. Vance. But on Monday, a significantly improved
(00:52):
civil tone was present as Zelenski praised the President for
his peace efforts.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts stop
killings and stop this war.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
The President expressed optimism that the war in Ukraine, now
in its third year, could be on a pathway to ending.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
If everything works out well today, we'll have a try, lad,
and I think there will be a reasonable chance of
ending the war.
Speaker 5 (01:19):
When we do.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Monday was also a remarkable day for me, as I
got to see this meeting between President Trump and President
Zelenski as well as a separate, expanded meeting with European
leaders firsthand. I was in the White House Pool on Monday,
and let me just explain what that means. The White
House Pool refers to a system that we have at
(01:41):
the White House where a very small, rotating group of
journalists represent the larger White House Press Corps when access
to the president is limited. In other words, not everybody
who's in the White House Press Corps can go into
the Oval office or can go into the Cabinet room.
We have the White House Pool for that. And the
(02:01):
pool includes representatives from various media outlets like print and
TV and radio, as well as photographers. And I'm a
part of the radio pool, at least I was on Monday.
Some days I'm a part of the television pool. It's
a rotating system, and under that system, I'm in the
(02:21):
pool every nine days at the very least, and by
sheer luck, Monday was my day, and it was a
remarkable day. It's not every day that you get to
have that front road to history. And I think That's
exactly what Monday was all about now as it relates
to this meeting in the Oval Office. It was a
different environment, a different feeling than what happened back in February.
(02:45):
President Zelenski was there right next to the President, right
in front of the fireplace, just like back in February,
but it was a warmer feeling and the President, I
think wanted to make it a warmer place in terms
of what he's trying to accomplish, and that is ending
the war in Ukraine. President Zelenski, for his part, seemed
(03:06):
open to this idea that the President raised Friday of
last week while he was in Alaska of the Trilateral Summit,
a summit in which President Trump would serve as the
mediator and it would also be attended by both President
Zelenski and by President Putin. Let's hear President Zelenski in
the Oval Office on Monday.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
We need to stop this lord, to stop Russia, and
we need support of American and European papist mold A
best for this, and I think we show that we
are strong people and we supported of the United States
of personal President.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Trump to stop this wark, to make a diplomatic way
of finishing this war and we are ready for trilateral
As president, this is which is all about Traila.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
I think this is where President Trump, in a social
media post that he put out late Monday, said that
the White House talks had included discussion of security assurances
or security guarantees that European countries would provide Ukraine, with
the US playing what the President is calling a coordination role,
and the President in the Oval Office was asked about
(04:18):
these security guarantees. Let's listen to what the President had
to say it comes.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
To security, There's going to be a lot of help.
It's going to be good. They are a first line
of defense because they're there, there, here, but we're going
to help them out. Also, we'll be involved.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
Now.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
During the Q and a that the President permitted with reporters,
I asked the President about a letter that the First
Lady had hand delivered to President Vladimir Putin while Putin
was in Alaska on Friday. Let's listen to the question
I asked the President and the answer that he gave me,
Why did the First Lady feel that letter was necessary?
(04:55):
Was it because she believed that mister Putin is the
aggressor in the war. There's a similar letter being to
hand delivered to President Zelensky.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
So the first Lady felt very strongly, She's watched the
same thing that you watch and that I watch.
Speaker 7 (05:11):
I see things that you don't get to see, and
it's horrible.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
She loves children and she hates to see she hates
to see something like this happening. And that goes for
other wars too.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
I also had the opportunity while I was in the
Oval Office to ask the President why he dropped his
demand from President Putin to agree to a ceasefire. Let
me play for you what I asked the President and
the answer that he gave me last week.
Speaker 8 (05:37):
You warned of what you called severe consequences if a
thirty days cease fire or any type of ceasefire were
not agreed to by Russia. Will there be severe consequences?
Does that change because you.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Don't think you need a cease fire?
Speaker 7 (05:51):
And you know, if you look at the sixteals that I.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Settled this year, they were all at warm. I didn't
do any cease fires, and I know that it might
be good to have, but.
Speaker 7 (06:01):
I can also understand strategically, well, you know, one country
or the other wouldn't want it. I like the concept,
you know. I like the concept of a ceasefire for
one reason, because you stop killing people immediately.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Now.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
As that meeting in the Oval Office, at least reporters
being in that meeting wrapped up after about twenty five minutes,
the President explain what his goal is. His ultimate goal
is as it relates to next steps after Monday's visit
not only by President Zelenski, but also the visit to
the White House by European leaders. Let's listen to the
(06:34):
President near the conclusion of this Oval Office meeting that
he had with President Zelenski.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
We may or may not have a try lad.
Speaker 7 (06:43):
If we don't have a trylad, then the fighting continues.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
And if we do, we have a good chance. I
think if we have a try life, there's a good
chance that maybe.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Ending in the afternoon, the pool was brought into the
East room, and when we were brought into the East room,
we saw European leaders meeting with the President. They were
around a large table in the East room. On each
side of this table was on the president's right his aids,
his national security team, and on the president's left aids
(07:14):
and advisors to the European leaders that had come to
the White House and the President when he met with
these European counterparts, each leader sounded very upbeat. They sounded optimistic,
They sounded unified about the prospects of ending the war
in Ukraine, even though territorial concessions remains a major sticking point.
(07:36):
Let's listen to the President as he began this meeting
in the East Room.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
We're all working for the same goal, very simple goal.
We want to stop the killing, get this settled.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
The President acknowledged that getting to a peace deal ultimately
is up to the leaders of both Ukraine and Russia.
They are the leaders that are fighting this war. They
are the leaders that are representing their countries and would
sign off on any piece deal. And the President right
here in this SoundBite you're about to hear, explained his
(08:08):
ultimate goal coming out of this meeting on Monday.
Speaker 5 (08:11):
Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made
by President Zelenski and by the people of Ukraine working
also together in agreement with President Putin. And I just
think that's very good things are going to come of it.
Speaker 7 (08:26):
So I hope we have.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
A good meeting and if we can have a good meeting.
I'll set up a meeting with President Putin, and if
you'd like, I'll go to that meeting. And not that
I want to do that, but I will do that
because we want to save a lot of people from dying.
A lot of people are dying and we got to
save them.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
As for Vladimir Zelenski, when he had an opportunity to
speak in the East Room, he embraced this idea of
a three way summit. Embrace it entirely. He likes the
idea of President Trump being in the room as a
mediator while President Zelenski would be meeting with President Putin.
Let's listen to President Zelenski in the East Room on Monday.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I think that we had a very good conversation with
President very good and it really was the best one,
or sorry, maybe the best one will be in the future.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
The President gave an opportunity for each of those European
leaders who traveled to Washington, traveled to the White House
to make a statement about how they feel about the
prospects for peace and the steps going forward. And one
of those individuals making a statement was NATO's Secretary General
Mark Ruda. Mark rut has become very close with the president.
(09:34):
He's someone that the president trusts. He's known the president
since when Rudo served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
What he took out of this meeting was the idea
that the US is on board providing security guarantees for
Ukraine if and when a peace deal is reached. Let's
listen to NATO's Secretary General Mark Ruda as he made
(09:58):
his statement. And the fact that you have said I'm
willing to participate in a security guarantees is a big step,
is really a breakthrough, and it makes all the difference.
There was unity in that room, There's no doubt about it.
Everyone seemed upbeat. But one of the first leaders who
sort of went off the reservation, so to speak, was
(10:20):
Chancellor Mertz of Germany. He has a problem with the
fact that the President has backed off this idea of
insisting on a ceasefire, and he made his feelings known
in the easter. Let's listen to Chancellor Mertz right here.
Speaker 6 (10:37):
To be honest, we all would like to see a
ceasefire the latest from the next meeting on. I can't
imagine that the next meeting would took place without a ceasefire.
So let's work on that and let's try to put
pressure on Russia, because the credibility of this efforts, these
efforts we are undertaking today are depending on at least
(11:01):
ceasefire from the beginning of the serious negotiations from next
step on. So I would like to emphasize this aspect
and would like to see a ceasefire from the next meeting,
which should be a triateral meeting wherever it's take one.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
When the French President Emmanuel Macron had an opportunity to speak,
he expressed a similar view. He too, is concerned that
the president, President Trump has backed away from insisting on
a ceasefire, and that is something that he said publicly.
And we don't know, of course, if these leaders have
said this privately to the President but just didn't want
(11:39):
to say it in front of reporters. There are still
so many issues that need to get involved, including what
territory might be conceded to Russia, which right now is
a point of contention. Russia wants a good chunk of
eastern Ukraine and that's going to be a non starter
as far as Ukraine is concerned. And then even as
far as those military security guarantees. It's not exactly clear
(12:05):
how that would work from the US perspective. Now, there
are a number of ways the US might provide indirect
military support to the European peacekeepers that stopped short of
putting American boots on the ground, but that obviously still
needs to be worked out. And what also needs to
be worked out is whether there will be a bilateral
meeting involving President Zelensky and President Putin before a trilateral
(12:29):
meeting which would also involve President Trump. So a lot
still needs to be worked out. But I think the
growing consensus is that Monday was a good day as
far as moving the ball towards getting to peace ending
the war. And we'll see if indeed much comes of it,
(12:52):
but it was certainly a good day as far as
those European leaders are concerned, and also the way the
President Trump expressed his view on Monday as well. Tuesday,
we'll have a White House briefing and we'll get some
more answers in terms of what was agreed to, what
was not agreed to, what remains unfulfilled in terms of
(13:13):
goals and promises. Caroline Levitt will conduct the White House
Press briefing at one pm Eastern time, and I look
forward to being there and perhaps getting a question to
the White House Press Secretary. That's it for the White
House Briefing for Tuesday, August the nineteenth. I'm John Decker.
Have a good one
Welcome to the White House Briefing Room for Tuesday, August
the nineteenth. I'm John Decker. Monday was a monumental and
I believe historic day at the White House. President Trump
and his European counterparts expressed optimism about the prospects for
ending the war in Ukraine.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
We've had a lot of good discussions, with a lot
of good talks, and I think the progress is being made,
very substantial progress in many ways.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
This was a return trip to Washington for Ukrainian President
Voladimir Zelenski. The last time Zelenski was in the Oval
Office was back in February February twenty eighth, when he
received that verbal lashing from both President Trump and from
Vice President JD. Vance. But on Monday, a significantly improved
(00:52):
civil tone was present as Zelenski praised the President for
his peace efforts.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts stop
killings and stop this war.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
The President expressed optimism that the war in Ukraine, now
in its third year, could be on a pathway to ending.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
If everything works out well today, we'll have a try, lad,
and I think there will be a reasonable chance of
ending the war.
Speaker 5 (01:19):
When we do.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Monday was also a remarkable day for me, as I
got to see this meeting between President Trump and President
Zelenski as well as a separate, expanded meeting with European
leaders firsthand. I was in the White House Pool on Monday,
and let me just explain what that means. The White
House Pool refers to a system that we have at
(01:41):
the White House where a very small, rotating group of
journalists represent the larger White House Press Corps when access
to the president is limited. In other words, not everybody
who's in the White House Press Corps can go into
the Oval office or can go into the Cabinet room.
We have the White House Pool for that. And the
(02:01):
pool includes representatives from various media outlets like print and
TV and radio, as well as photographers. And I'm a
part of the radio pool, at least I was on Monday.
Some days I'm a part of the television pool. It's
a rotating system, and under that system, I'm in the
(02:21):
pool every nine days at the very least, and by
sheer luck, Monday was my day, and it was a
remarkable day. It's not every day that you get to
have that front road to history. And I think That's
exactly what Monday was all about now as it relates
to this meeting in the Oval Office. It was a
different environment, a different feeling than what happened back in February.
(02:45):
President Zelenski was there right next to the President, right
in front of the fireplace, just like back in February,
but it was a warmer feeling and the President, I
think wanted to make it a warmer place in terms
of what he's trying to accomplish, and that is ending
the war in Ukraine. President Zelenski, for his part, seemed
(03:06):
open to this idea that the President raised Friday of
last week while he was in Alaska of the Trilateral Summit,
a summit in which President Trump would serve as the
mediator and it would also be attended by both President
Zelenski and by President Putin. Let's hear President Zelenski in
the Oval Office on Monday.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
We need to stop this lord, to stop Russia, and
we need support of American and European papist mold A
best for this, and I think we show that we
are strong people and we supported of the United States
of personal President.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Trump to stop this wark, to make a diplomatic way
of finishing this war and we are ready for trilateral
As president, this is which is all about Traila.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
I think this is where President Trump, in a social
media post that he put out late Monday, said that
the White House talks had included discussion of security assurances
or security guarantees that European countries would provide Ukraine, with
the US playing what the President is calling a coordination role,
and the President in the Oval Office was asked about
(04:18):
these security guarantees. Let's listen to what the President had
to say it comes.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
To security, There's going to be a lot of help.
It's going to be good. They are a first line
of defense because they're there, there, here, but we're going
to help them out. Also, we'll be involved.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
Now.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
During the Q and a that the President permitted with reporters,
I asked the President about a letter that the First
Lady had hand delivered to President Vladimir Putin while Putin
was in Alaska on Friday. Let's listen to the question
I asked the President and the answer that he gave me,
Why did the First Lady feel that letter was necessary?
(04:55):
Was it because she believed that mister Putin is the
aggressor in the war. There's a similar letter being to
hand delivered to President Zelensky.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
So the first Lady felt very strongly, She's watched the
same thing that you watch and that I watch.
Speaker 7 (05:11):
I see things that you don't get to see, and
it's horrible.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
She loves children and she hates to see she hates
to see something like this happening. And that goes for
other wars too.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
I also had the opportunity while I was in the
Oval Office to ask the President why he dropped his
demand from President Putin to agree to a ceasefire. Let
me play for you what I asked the President and
the answer that he gave me last week.
Speaker 8 (05:37):
You warned of what you called severe consequences if a
thirty days cease fire or any type of ceasefire were
not agreed to by Russia. Will there be severe consequences?
Does that change because you.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Don't think you need a cease fire?
Speaker 7 (05:51):
And you know, if you look at the sixteals that I.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Settled this year, they were all at warm. I didn't
do any cease fires, and I know that it might
be good to have, but.
Speaker 7 (06:01):
I can also understand strategically, well, you know, one country
or the other wouldn't want it. I like the concept,
you know. I like the concept of a ceasefire for
one reason, because you stop killing people immediately.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Now.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
As that meeting in the Oval Office, at least reporters
being in that meeting wrapped up after about twenty five minutes,
the President explain what his goal is. His ultimate goal
is as it relates to next steps after Monday's visit
not only by President Zelenski, but also the visit to
the White House by European leaders. Let's listen to the
(06:34):
President near the conclusion of this Oval Office meeting that
he had with President Zelenski.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
We may or may not have a try lad.
Speaker 7 (06:43):
If we don't have a trylad, then the fighting continues.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
And if we do, we have a good chance. I
think if we have a try life, there's a good
chance that maybe.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Ending in the afternoon, the pool was brought into the
East room, and when we were brought into the East room,
we saw European leaders meeting with the President. They were
around a large table in the East room. On each
side of this table was on the president's right his aids,
his national security team, and on the president's left aids
(07:14):
and advisors to the European leaders that had come to
the White House and the President when he met with
these European counterparts, each leader sounded very upbeat. They sounded optimistic,
They sounded unified about the prospects of ending the war
in Ukraine, even though territorial concessions remains a major sticking point.
(07:36):
Let's listen to the President as he began this meeting
in the East Room.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
We're all working for the same goal, very simple goal.
We want to stop the killing, get this settled.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
The President acknowledged that getting to a peace deal ultimately
is up to the leaders of both Ukraine and Russia.
They are the leaders that are fighting this war. They
are the leaders that are representing their countries and would
sign off on any piece deal. And the President right
here in this SoundBite you're about to hear, explained his
(08:08):
ultimate goal coming out of this meeting on Monday.
Speaker 5 (08:11):
Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made
by President Zelenski and by the people of Ukraine working
also together in agreement with President Putin. And I just
think that's very good things are going to come of it.
Speaker 7 (08:26):
So I hope we have.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
A good meeting and if we can have a good meeting.
I'll set up a meeting with President Putin, and if
you'd like, I'll go to that meeting. And not that
I want to do that, but I will do that
because we want to save a lot of people from dying.
A lot of people are dying and we got to
save them.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
As for Vladimir Zelenski, when he had an opportunity to
speak in the East Room, he embraced this idea of
a three way summit. Embrace it entirely. He likes the
idea of President Trump being in the room as a
mediator while President Zelenski would be meeting with President Putin.
Let's listen to President Zelenski in the East Room on Monday.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I think that we had a very good conversation with
President very good and it really was the best one,
or sorry, maybe the best one will be in the future.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
The President gave an opportunity for each of those European
leaders who traveled to Washington, traveled to the White House
to make a statement about how they feel about the
prospects for peace and the steps going forward. And one
of those individuals making a statement was NATO's Secretary General
Mark Ruda. Mark rut has become very close with the president.
(09:34):
He's someone that the president trusts. He's known the president
since when Rudo served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
What he took out of this meeting was the idea
that the US is on board providing security guarantees for
Ukraine if and when a peace deal is reached. Let's
listen to NATO's Secretary General Mark Ruda as he made
(09:58):
his statement. And the fact that you have said I'm
willing to participate in a security guarantees is a big step,
is really a breakthrough, and it makes all the difference.
There was unity in that room, There's no doubt about it.
Everyone seemed upbeat. But one of the first leaders who
sort of went off the reservation, so to speak, was
(10:20):
Chancellor Mertz of Germany. He has a problem with the
fact that the President has backed off this idea of
insisting on a ceasefire, and he made his feelings known
in the easter. Let's listen to Chancellor Mertz right here.
Speaker 6 (10:37):
To be honest, we all would like to see a
ceasefire the latest from the next meeting on. I can't
imagine that the next meeting would took place without a ceasefire.
So let's work on that and let's try to put
pressure on Russia, because the credibility of this efforts, these
efforts we are undertaking today are depending on at least
(11:01):
ceasefire from the beginning of the serious negotiations from next
step on. So I would like to emphasize this aspect
and would like to see a ceasefire from the next meeting,
which should be a triateral meeting wherever it's take one.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
When the French President Emmanuel Macron had an opportunity to speak,
he expressed a similar view. He too, is concerned that
the president, President Trump has backed away from insisting on
a ceasefire, and that is something that he said publicly.
And we don't know, of course, if these leaders have
said this privately to the President but just didn't want
(11:39):
to say it in front of reporters. There are still
so many issues that need to get involved, including what
territory might be conceded to Russia, which right now is
a point of contention. Russia wants a good chunk of
eastern Ukraine and that's going to be a non starter
as far as Ukraine is concerned. And then even as
far as those military security guarantees. It's not exactly clear
(12:05):
how that would work from the US perspective. Now, there
are a number of ways the US might provide indirect
military support to the European peacekeepers that stopped short of
putting American boots on the ground, but that obviously still
needs to be worked out. And what also needs to
be worked out is whether there will be a bilateral
meeting involving President Zelensky and President Putin before a trilateral
(12:29):
meeting which would also involve President Trump. So a lot
still needs to be worked out. But I think the
growing consensus is that Monday was a good day as
far as moving the ball towards getting to peace ending
the war. And we'll see if indeed much comes of it,
(12:52):
but it was certainly a good day as far as
those European leaders are concerned, and also the way the
President Trump expressed his view on Monday as well. Tuesday,
we'll have a White House briefing and we'll get some
more answers in terms of what was agreed to, what
was not agreed to, what remains unfulfilled in terms of
(13:13):
goals and promises. Caroline Levitt will conduct the White House
Press briefing at one pm Eastern time, and I look
forward to being there and perhaps getting a question to
the White House Press Secretary. That's it for the White
House Briefing for Tuesday, August the nineteenth. I'm John Decker.
Have a good one
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