12:29 PM EDT, 08/18/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes were steady to mixed in midday trading on Monday as geopolitical risk unnerved investors ahead of President Donald Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the likely tough conditions from Moscow to end the deadly war.

The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.1% to 21,589.1, and the S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1% to 6,444.2. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed at 44,946.5. Communication services and energy led intraday decliners, while healthcare was among the gainers.

Zelensky will be joined by key European leaders, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, when he meets with Trump on Monday at the White House in Washington, D.C., according to media reports.

Trump said Zelensky must agree to some of Russia's conditions, including ceding Crimea and agreeing never to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, for the war to end, CNN reported. Trump is now focused on securing a peace deal without first aiming for a ceasefire, US envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN.

US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year yield up 1.1 basis points to 4.34% and the two-year rate climbed 1.3 basis points to 3.77%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures slipped 0.3% to $62.67 a barrel.

In addition to monitoring geopolitical developments, investors are awaiting the beginning of the Jackson Hole Symposium on Thursday. The gathering of global central banks in Wyoming this week will be watched even more closely, as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell could use the podium on Friday to signal the restart of monetary policy easing in September.

In economic news on Monday, the National Association of Home Builders' monthly housing market index declined to 32 in August from 33 in July, compared with expectations for an increase to 34 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.