President Donald Trump was overheard on a hot microphone on Monday, August 18, 2025, telling French President Emmanuel Macron that Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in negotiating a peace deal with Ukraine specifically for him, calling the idea “crazy,” just before a significant White House meeting.
“I think he wants to make a deal,” Trump whispered to Macron in the East Room as they prepared for discussions 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.”
This unguarded exchange offered insight into Trump’s perception of his rapport with the Russian leader after their Friday, August 15, summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. This meeting was the first direct encounter between sitting U.S. and Russian presidents since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
During Monday’s White House session, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte commended Trump’s dedication to providing security guarantees for Ukraine, deeming it a notable advancement. Rutte informed Trump during the multilateral meeting that his readiness to engage in the security guarantees was a major breakthrough and would make a substantial difference.
Trump’s special presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, who was part of the Alaska summit, asserted they obtained significant concessions from Putin. During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Witkoff noted that Russia agreed to allow the United States and European allies to offer Ukraine security guarantees akin to NATO’s collective defense mandate.
Witkoff characterized the arrangement as “Article 5-like protection,” referencing NATO’s principle that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members. He described the Russian agreement as “game-changing” and stated it was “the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that.”
According to Witkoff, Putin also committed to legislative measures preventing Russia from seizing additional Ukrainian territory or infringing on European sovereignty after any peace agreement. The envoy mentioned that the Alaska talks addressed “almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal.”
However, Russia swiftly refuted these claims. The Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement on Monday categorically rejecting any scenarios involving NATO forces in Ukraine. The ministry reiterated its long-standing opposition to any plans involving the deployment of a NATO military contingent in Ukraine, as reported by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. The ministry warned that such an action could lead to an uncontrolled escalation of the conflict with unpredictable consequences.
The conflicting statements underscored the challenges facing Trump’s peace initiative as he seeks to broker an end to the conflict that has persisted for nearly four years. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the difficulties ahead, telling ABC News that “we’re still a long ways off” from reaching a peace agreement despite identifying “potential areas of agreement.”
Following the White House meeting, Trump announced he had called 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 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, D.C. on short notice to coordinate their response to Trump’s diplomatic efforts.
President Macron, when asked about Trump’s hot microphone comment during an NBC News interview 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 security guarantees discussion represents a potential middle ground 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, saying 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 approximately $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 swiftly. 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 difficult than expected.
Trump’s approach has shifted from demanding an immediate ceasefire to focusing on a comprehensive peace agreement. This change came after 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.
