Hope for Ukraine peace as Trump meets Zelensky in Washington
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.2K Ratings
🗓️ 18 August 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
US President Donald Trump has hosted Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House for what Mr Zelensky called their “best” meeting so far. The two men met before being joined by key European leaders for talks on ending the war in Ukraine. President Trump said he believed a peace deal was possible, and pledged to help European countries offer security guarantees to Kyiv in the event of an agreement with Russia. NATO’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, praised Mr Trump’s role in the talks, while Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, called for an urgent ceasefire. Also: Hamas says it's accepted the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal from regional mediators while Israel is said to be reviewing the details, and why an African group wants to replace the traditional world map.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:05.5 | I'm Valerie Sanderson, and in the early hours of Tuesday, the 19th of August, these are our main |
| 0:10.4 | stories. Talks have been taking place at the White House involving President Trump, President |
| 0:15.2 | Zelensky, and European leaders in efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Hamas says it's accepted the latest Gaza-seas-sefar |
| 0:22.5 | proposal from regional mediators, while Israel is said to be reviewing the details. |
| 0:29.5 | Also in this podcast? Kids singing not just that song, but also others that Thompson used to |
| 0:35.1 | sing before, that are connected with mass crimes that |
| 0:37.8 | happened during Second World War. |
| 0:39.7 | House symbols from Croatia's Second World War fascist party have infiltrated the country's |
| 0:45.9 | rock music scene. |
| 0:51.8 | As we record this podcast, talks have been taking place at the White House following a meeting between President Trump and the Ukrainian President Zelensky, who were then joined by European leaders. |
| 1:02.3 | The goal to move forward on ending the war in Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022. |
| 1:09.0 | Monday's event came in the wake of Donald Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin |
| 1:12.7 | at a summit in Alaska last week. The mood music in the Oval Office was cordial. Mr Zelensky |
| 1:18.8 | called it his best meeting so far. The talks have been focusing on Ukraine's security. President |
| 1:24.8 | Trump said he'll help European nations provide Ukraine with security guarantees |
| 1:29.0 | in the event of a peace settlement with Russia. President Trump is sure a peace deal is attainable. |
| 1:35.2 | I don't think there's any issue that's overly complex. It's at a point now where people want to do |
| 1:40.9 | things. I really do believe. I've known them for a long time. I've always had a great relationship with them. I think that President Putin wants to find an answer to. And we'll see. In a certain period of time, not very far from now, a week or two weeks, we're going to know whether or not we're going to solve this or is this horrible fighting going to continue. |
| 2:01.9 | We'll do the best to get it ended. |
| 2:04.8 | And I believe you have two willing parties, and usually that's good news, |
| 2:09.0 | but two willing parties, I wouldn't make a deal. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.