Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
The US president, Donald Trump, has said he was not considering pulling US troops out of Poland (17:52, 18:08) and pledged to stand with Warsaw “all the way” during a meeting with the country’s conservative nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, at the White House (15:50).
Trump’s comments were welcomed by Polish leaders (19:49), offering some relief after months of speculations about the future of US military presence in Poland (18:28).
During the meeting, Trump also said he was “not happy” with the number of people dying during the Russian invasion on Ukraine, and stressed he wanted it “stopped now” (18:18).
The US president said he would respond to Putin’s decision on the peace process, warning: “If we are unhappy about it, you will see things happen” (17:55).
The Washington meeting came just hours before tomorrow’s summit of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy set to join a group of leaders for futher talks on security guarantees for Ukraine.
The host, French president Emmanuel Macron, declared on Wednesday night that Europe was “ready to provide security guarantees” once a peace deal is agreed, signalling further progress in planning discussions behind the scenes (19:25).
The leaders will talk with Trump on Thursday to discuss next steps, the Élysée Palace confirmed (18:50).
Earlier on Wednesday, Zelenskyy met with the Nordic and Baltic leaders in Denmark (15:12, 15:16).
Meanwhile, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin suggested he would be ready to meet with Zelenskyy if the Ukrainian president came over to Moscow (16:01, 16:22, 19:40), an offer immediately rejected by Kyiv (17:16).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Polish leaders welcome Trump's words on US troops presence in Poland
Despite domestic political disagreements in the build up to Nawrocki’s visit to Washington, a number of senior Polish government figures have welcomed Trump’s reassurances that he was not looking to reduce the number of US troops in Poland.
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk, who will take part in tomorrow’s Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, said:
“President Trump has just declared that the United States had no plans, and does not plan in the future, to withdraw American troops from Poland. These are important words that confirm the timeless nature of our alliance.”
Deputy prime minister and defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said:
“An important declaration by President @realDonaldTrump about the presence of American troops in Poland. This is proof that the strategic [Polish-American] alliance, which is one of the foundations of our security, is extremely strong.”
Deputy prime minister and foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said:
“It is good that President Trump confirmed the continued stationing of American troops in Poland. On matters of security, deterring Putin, and supporting Ukraine, the government and the opposition speak with one voice.”
‘He should come to Moscow,’ Putin says about peace talks with Zelenskyy – video
Here is a clip showing Vladimir Putin’s comments in Beijing, as he argued that Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy “should come to Moscow” for peace talks about the war.
Spoiler alert: Ukraine is not keen (17:16).
Updated
Ukraine's Zelenskyy arrives in Paris ahead of talks, with Macron declaring Europe 'ready' to provide guarantees
Aaaand just like that:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just arrived at the Élysée Palace, welcomed by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, ahead of tomorrow’s talks with the Coalition of the Willing.
In his opening remarks, Macron said that building on the preparatory work by military planners, Europe was “ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine and the Ukrainians” once a peace accord is agreed.
“The question now is to determine the sincerity of Russia and its successive commitments on peace talks made to the US,” he said.
Curiously, two diplomatic sources told Reuters that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is also in Paris, ahead of tomorrow’s meeting.
Updated
Zelenskyy, European leaders to speak with Trump on Thursday, Élysée confirms
Meanwhile we are getting a bit more details on tomorrow’s summit of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris and online.
The Élysée Palace has confirmed Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s suggestion earlier today (15:12), saying that the leaders will speak with US president Donald Trump by phone after their meeting.
The French president’s office said that one of the aims of the meeting is to say “we are capable, with regard to our American partners, of honouring the commitments we have made, while it is up to them to maintain or increase pressure on Russia,” AFP reported.
The call with Trump is expected around 1pm BST, 2pm CEST, with a press conference to follow later.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy is expected in Paris very shortly, where he will meet for talks and dinner with the host, Emmanuel Macron.
Updated
Poland's Nawrocki gets from Trump the big declaration he wanted - snap analysis
One should always be cautious about judging the visit from its first half hour, but you bet that Nawrocki’s officials in Warsaw are very pleased with that they just heard.
Concerns about the future of the US military presence in Poland and the broader region have featured very prominently in the Polish public debate in recent months, with rumours and speculations about potential reduction of US troops in the country amid signals about the US looking to shift its focus and prioritise the Indo-Pacific region.
To get Trump to say in this meeting that he’s got no plans to do so (18:08) – or even that he could increase their presence (17:52) – is a big political win for Nawrocki and his allies.
When Poland controversially skipped the recent Zelenskyy-Trump meeting in the White House, Nawrocki’s aides argued their primary focus was on a bilateral agenda with the US, and this issue would feature prominently on their list coming into today’s meeting.
Obviously, you just never know with Trump as he can and often does change his views. But for now, that was exactly what Nawrocki and his team were hoping for.
Updated
Trump says 'not happy' with number of people dying in Russian invasion on Ukraine every week
Asked what he will do to end the war, Trump says he will have a conversation with “him” – erm - “very shortly, and I will know pretty much what we are going to be doing.”
(It’s not entirely clear if he means Putin or Zelenskyy or Nawrocki, as confirmed by a desperate journalist asking “but who”)
“We’ve taken very strong action, as you know, and in other ways, we’ve taken very strong action, but I’ll be speaking to him over the next few days and we’re going to see,” he says.
He adds that he is “not happy” with the number of people being killed every week there.
“They’re human beings, their souls, they have parents. They wave goodbye to their parents, and their parents never see them again … I want to see it stopped now,” he says.
He then blames Biden for the Russian invasion on Ukraine, saying:
A big reason this war happened was sitting right in these chairs, this one in particular.
He ends by saying he thought the Russian invasion on Ukraine wouldn’t be that difficult to end, and “would be in the middle of the pack, maybe on of the easiest,” but adds:
“You never know with war. War is complex and dangerous and what a mess, what a bloody mess. It’s going to be done one way or the other. But they have to stop killing all of these souls.”
And that ends the press spray in the Oval Office.
Updated
Trump hails his tariff policy now.
He also celebrates the US deal with the EU, saying “we made a deal with the European Union where they’re paying us almost a trillion dollars, and they’re happy to do it.”
“You know that? They’re happy it’s done.”
He talks about it in the context of the Supreme Court case on tariffs, which he says is going to be “very, very big.”
'Never even thought in terms of removing soldiers from Poland,' Trump says
Asked about the US-Polish relations, Trump says Poland is in “a very special relationship” category.
He goes even further on his promise to not pull out any troops from Poland – but in the process confirms there are considerations about pulling some troops from other European countries.
“It’s like the question about the soldiers that was asked. We never even thought in terms of removing soldiers from Poland.
We do think about it with regard to other countries, but we would never … we’re with Poland all the way, and we will help Poland protect itself.”
Poland’s Nawrocki then says “it is the first time in Polish history … that the Poles are happy to have foreign soldiers in Poland.”
He says Poland is not a “free rider” within Nato as it spends 4.7% GDP on defence, and will reach the new 5% target soon.
Trump notes that “Poland was one of two nations that paid more than they were supposed to within Nato.”
Over the last few minutes, Trump has been mostly speaking about domestic US issues, including Venezuela and his anti-crime agenda.
So, here is a picture from inside the Oval Office:
Trump was also earlier asked about the Chinese military parade, saying it was a “beautiful ceremony” and “very, very impression.”
He says the US should have been acknowledged in speeches “for helping China to gain its freedom.”
“But I understood the reason they were doing it, and they were hoping I was watching, and I was watching. My relationship with all of them is very good.
We’re going to find out how good it is over the next week or two.”
'You'll see things happen' if US is unhappy with Putin's decisions on Ukraine, Trump says
Asked for his message to Russia’s Putin, Trump says:
“I have no message to President Putin, he knows where I stand.
He’ll make a decision one way or the other, whatever his decision is, we will either be happy about it or unhappy and if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen.”
Trump gets annoyed at reporter for suggestions he took 'no action' against Putin
Trump angrily reacts to a suggestion from a Polish reporter that he has not followed up on his warnings to Putin, despite the Russian president still not agreeing to a meeting with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy.
“How do you know this? How do you know there’s no action? Really?,” he says.
He points to sanctions on India that “cost hundreds of billions of dollars.”
“You call that no action, and I haven’t done phase two yet or phase three, but when you say there’s no action, I think you ought to get yourself a new job,” he says.
US troops will stay in Poland, Trump declares
Straight away, we have a big declaration that Poland will be very happy with.
Asked about the US military posture in Poland and whether the US troops will remain there, Trump says:
"I think so. I mean, do you know something I don’t? [I’m] very happy. If anything, we can put more there, if they want; they’ve long wanted to have a larger presence.
We have some countries that have more, not too many, but no, they will be staying in Poland. We are very much aligned with Poland.”
Trump and Nawrocki speaking from Oval Office
Trump and Nawrocki are now speaking from the Oval Office.
Trump welcomes his guest saying “he had an incredible race” and “came from behind” to win it “very handily” in what he says was a “pretty tough, pretty nasty race.”
“I don’t endorse too many people, but I endorsed him, and I was very proud of that the job he’s done,” he tells of Nawrocki.
Nawrocki thanks him for his support during the campaign and hails “strong” relations with the US, paying tribute to the Polish diaspora in the country.
The pair also pay tribute to the Polish F-16 pilot who died last week, maj Maciej “Slab” Krakowian, with Trump calling him “a legend.”
Moving on to the meeting, Trump says they will talk about trade, among other things.
Poland's Nawrocki meets US Trump at White House - live stream
If you want to follow Nawrocki’s visit, you can watch out stream below, which should show the leaders’ Oval Office chat when it begins soon-ish.
I will obviously bring you all the key news lines here.
Poland's Nawrocki arrives at White House - in pictures
Updated
Poland's Nawrocki arrives at White House to meet US Trump
Poland’s Nawrocki is arriving at the White House now, with Trump welcoming him outside.
As part of the official welcome, the pair is also expected to watch a military flyover from the South Lawn, which is reported to involve F16 and F35 fighter jets.
The F16 are reportedly involved to pay tribute to a Polish fighter jet pilot who died in a tragic accident at an airshow in Poland last week, Polish media were told.
But there is also a commercial element to it: Poland is Nato’s top spender, spending billions on US military equipment, including on fighter jets.
For background on the visit, read our full report:
Updated
Putin's Moscow suggestion 'knowingly unacceptable,' Ukrainian foreign minister says
In the meantime, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha responded to Putin’s non-starter of a suggestion that Zelenskyy could travel to Moscow for bilateral talks on ending the war (16:01).
Sybiha said:
“Right now, at least seven countries are ready to host a meeting between leaders of Ukraine and Russia to bring an end to the war. Austria, the Holy See, Switzerland, Türkiye, and three Gulf states.
These are serious proposals and President Zelenskyy is ready for such a meeting at any point of time.
Yet, Putin continues to mess around with everyone by making knowingly unacceptable proposals. Only increased pressure can force Russia to finally get serious about peace process.”
UK sanctions individuals, organisations involved in forced deportations of Ukrainian children
As we wait for Nawrocki to leave Blair House in Washington and get en route to the White House (the whole 230m!), let me bring you an update from London.
Earlier today, the UK government has sanctioned 11 Russian officials and organisations allegedly involved in the Kremlin’s policy of forced deportations and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.
The UK government said that “to date, more than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred or deported by the Russian authorities to Russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.”
UK foreign secretary David Lammy said:
“The Kremlin’s policy of forced deportations, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children is despicable, and demonstrates the depths of depravity that President Putin will reach to erase Ukrainian language, culture and identity.”
More details about the package can be found here.
'In era of resurging Russian imperialism, deeper cooperation with US is fundamental,' Poland's former president Duda says
Polish president Karol Nawrocki is expected at the White House in the next few minutes.
His predecessor as Poland’s head of state, Andrzej Duda, who left the office in August after 10 years and also had close relations with Trump, has just been speaking to Republika TV.
He said:
“In today’s era of the resurgence of Russian imperialism, in today’s age of an unmistakable Russian threat, the necessity to strengthen Euro‑Atlantic ties, the necessity to deepen cooperation with the United States – of course from the standpoint of our own interest, of our security, but also our economic interest – is, in my view, absolutely fundamental. …
This applies not only in terms of safeguarding the security of Nato’s entire eastern flank, but also in terms of securing the continued economic development of the entire European Union.”
And that ends Putin’s press conference in Beijing.
Good timing: given that we are expecting Poland’s Nawrocki at the White House in the coming hour, we will no doubt see Trump asked about some of the points raised about Putin in his press conference.
Updated
No preparations for Trump's visit to Russia, Putin says
Putin also got asked about his invitation, expressed during the Alaska summit, for Trump to visit Russia.
He says there are no active preparations for any such visit, but the invitation remains open.
Putin signals readiness to raise seniority of Russia's delegation for talks with Ukraine
Putin also suggested Russia could send a more senior representation for future talks with Ukraine.
Asked about it, he said:
“If there’s a need to increase the level of the representative group, we are prepared for this. I am not prepared to talk about specific people, but yes, we’re prepared … to lift it to a very high political level.”
Putin appears unfazed by prospect of more EU sanctions, claiming Ukraine is 'excuse' for measures targeting Russia
Putin was also asked about the prospect of more EU sanctions against Russia or its allies, including China and India.
He said the leaders did not discuss this during their recent conversations.
“This does not concern us. Events in Ukraine are just an excuse for economic decisions against certain countries,” he claimed.
'If common sense prevails, there is a way of ending this conflict,' Putin says, but warns about 'military means' if no agreement
In another set of comments about the state of war, Putin said:
“I believe that if common sense is there, then it is possible to agree an acceptable option or acceptable way of ending this conflict.”
He praised the US administration saying “they have got the will and desire to find a solution.”
“I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We will see.
Otherwise, we will be forced to resolve all our objective objectives through military means.”
Putin also claimed that Russian forces were advancing on all fronts in Ukraine, and argued that in his view Ukraine was increasingly not capable of conducting large-scale offensive due to limited means.
Putin was also asked about German chancellor Friedrich Merz’s comments calling him “a war criminal.”
Rejecting his criticism, Putin replied it was “an awkward attempt to remove from himself - not from himself personally, but from the country - the responsibility for the tragedy that is taking place in Ukraine.”
He then made a reference to the Minsk agreements, alleging that Europeans did not stand by the agreement. (Not saying anything about Russia’s non-observance of its provisions, though.)
“We will never accept a situation where Russia is just observing how its rights are ignored,” he said.
'Let him come to Moscow,' Putin says about Zelenskyy
Here is the relevant excerpt from Putin’s press conference in Beijing:
“I’ve never excluded the possibility of meeting with him. But does it make sense to meet with him?”
He suggested that Zelenskyy’s term has expired with “no means of extending it,” once again questioning his legitimacy to hold the office without elections.
“So does it make sense to meet with the current administration? We could do that; I’ve never refused to do that if that leads to some positive outcomes,” he argued.
He said Trump asked him if it was possible to which he replied:
“I said yes, it was possible, let him come to Moscow.”
(Translation from the Russian via Sky News)
Updated
'Let Zelenskyy come to Moscow' for meeting, Putin says
We are getting some lines from Russian president Vladimir Putin, via Reuters, speaking about the prospects of a high-level meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He is reported to have said “let Zelenskyy come to Moscow and the meeting will happen,” with a caveat that the meeting needs to be “well prepared.”
I will bring you full quotes as soon as we have them.
Updated
Poland's Nawrocki set to visit Trump for talks on security, Ukraine in his first foreign policy test
Poland’s conservative nationalist president Karol Nawrocki is due to meet Donald Trump at the White House in the first serious test of his foreign policy credentials.
Backed by the populist rightwing opposition Law and Justice party, which ruled Poland between 2015 and 2023, Nawrocki unexpectedly won Poland’s presidential election after running a campaign under a Trumpesque slogan of “Poland first, Poles first”.
The historian turned politician had met the US president before the election, securing his highly prized endorsement and presenting himself as someone who could safeguard Poland’s interests with the conservative US administration.
When he won, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Such a great win in Poland by Karol Nawrocki. He will be a great president!”
Nawrocki’s visit to the White House on Wednesday will be his first overseas trip since taking office last month, and is expected to focus on security issues, including Ukraine, but also on economic and energy cooperation.
But the visit has also prompted fresh tensions with the nation’s pro-European government led by Donald Tusk.
Nawrocki, a fierce critic of Tusk who has pledged to continue supporting Kyiv but opposes Ukraine’s membership in Nato and pushed for tightening the benefits paid out to Ukrainian refugees in Poland, publicly clashed with the government over his intention to pursue his foreign policy independently of the government.
For more background, read the full story:
'You're not only fighting your own war; you're fighting for entire future of Europe,' Denmark's Frederiksen tells Zelenskyy
In her comments, Frederiksen says that “maybe the most important part of future security guarantees in Ukraine is ensuring that you have a strong army – a well-equipped and trained Ukrainian army.”
“We have said from the beginning of this war that you are not only fighting your own war, you are fighting for the entire future of Europe. And therefore we have to continue [our support],” she said.
She also talked about the need for further security guarantees, which will be discussed at the Coalition of the Willing’s meeting on Thursday.
Coalition of the Willing 'will try' to speak to Trump on Thursday to urge more pressure on Russia, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen are now talking with journalists after the earlier NB8 meeting on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy stresses that Ukraine really counts on further support via the Nato’s PURL programme, and talks about the need for air defence system supplies which he describes as “absolutely strategic” ahead of winter.
The Ukrainian president also says that he wants the future security guarantees for Ukraine to go further than the existing wartime arrangements to make sure that “it doesn’t matter who will be the leader of one or another country, this system has to work” to uphold peace.
As a journalist invites him to criticise Trump for not putting more pressure on Russia, he elegantly sidesteps that question and stresses that Ukraine needs the US “on our side, in this crucial period.”
He stresses that Ukraine needs more air defence systems, and “to be realistic, mostly United States has it.”
But he eventually concedes that some decisions are progressing “very slow.”
Zelenskyy also talks about the importance of further sanctions on Russia, pointing out that it’s been more than two weeks since Trump-Putin conversation, with Russia seemingly showing no interest in progressing the talks – despite the promise made to the US president.
He reveals that the leaders taking part in the Coalition of the Willing meeting tomorrow “will try to connect with President Trump, and we’ll speak about it.”
Asked if he could trust Putin’s word, he replies:
Nobody trusts Putin.
He adds:
“Who can give you guarantees that Putin will not continue [the invasion]? Nobody. He lied so many times, so we can’t trust it.”
Thursday's meeting of the Coalition of the Willing to firm up plans for guarantees for Ukraine, Nato's Rutte says
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said he expected tomorrow’s talks between European leaders in Paris to firm up plans on security guarantees for Ukraine, and pave the way to get a clearer picture on US involvement.
“Tomorrow will be an important meeting, so I expect tomorrow, or soon after tomorrow, to have clarity on what collectively we can deliver,” Rutte told journalists at a press conference alongside Estonian president Alar Karis.
“That means that we can engage even more intensely, also with the American side to see what they want to deliver in terms of their participation.”
Afternoon opening: Intense diplomatic work on Ukraine
After a heavy night of Russian attacks in Ukraine, it’s another busy day for European diplomacy as leaders seek new ways to pressure Russia into engaging with the peace process and are confronted with a new geopolitical reality.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Denmark, meeting with the Nordic and the Baltic leaders (the so-called NB8) to discuss further support for his country, while Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki is about to make his debut appearance on the international stage visiting US president Donald Trump at the White House.
We should hear from all of them this afternoon.
But then Slovak prime minister Robert Fico is in Beijing, where – fresh from meeting one-on-one with Russian president Vladimir Putin and talking about the need for “standardisation” of their bilateral relations – he joined a massive military parade intended to show China’s military might.
Xi Jinping said the world was facing a choice between peace or war as he held China’s largest-ever military parade, joined by Putin and Kim Jong-un in a show of defiance to the west.
Putin also invited Kim Jong-un to visit Russia during a lengthy meeting in Beijing on the sidelines of China’s biggest military parade, as Kim promised to do “everything I can to assist” Moscow.
Let’s see what the day brings us. I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Wednesday, 3 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good afternoon.
