WASHINGTON D.C, US (RELEASED ON AUGUST 18, 2025) (ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE – RESTRICTED) RESTRICTION: USERS MUST CREDIT “ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE” — EDITORIAL USE ONLY. SHOTLIST: 1. VARIOUS OF ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI SPEAKING TO PRESS (Italian) WASHINGTON D.C, US - RELEASED ON AUGUST 18: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held a press conference in Washington D.C. on Monday, August 18, ahead of high-level peace talks for Russia-Ukraine war. Monday’s talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, top European leaders, and US President Donald Trump, are expected to address key issues such as security guarantees and potential concessions on ending the Russia-Ukraine war. The meeting will also be attended by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The meeting between the European leaders and the US president comes shortly after Trump's three-hour closed-door meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, where Putin said they reached an "understanding." Monday's meeting is expected to include the US offering security guarantees to Ukraine similar to the NATO framework, in exchange for concessions such as Kyiv's abandoning of its ambitions for NATO membership, and of reclaiming the Russian-occupied Crimea.