Donald Trump has outlined two things that Volodymyr Zelenskyy can do to end the war with Russia “almost immediately” ahead of a high-stakes White House meeting.
Trump urged the Ukrainian president to drop his bid to join NATO and said he must recognize Crimea as Russian territory after its annexation in 2014.
Zelenskyy has previously refused to recognize Crimea, which the majority of the international community views as occupied Ukrainian territory.
Highlights
- Trump says Ukraine can end the war immediately if Zelenskyy drops NATO bid and recognizes Crimea as Russian territory.
- Zelenskyy previously refused to recognize Crimea, insisting Ukraine cannot cede territory as per its Constitution.
- Trump's meeting with Putin ended with no ceasefire deal; focus shifted to a peace agreement instead.
- European and NATO leaders will join Zelenskyy at the White House to push for a united stance against Russian invasion.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be joined by European leaders at a White House meeting
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“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”
It comes as the U.S. president is set to host Zelenskyy and other European leaders at the White House on Monday.
Zelenskyy will be flanked by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
Image credits: Donald J Trump
Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will also join the meeting.
The nations are expected to present a united front and challenge territorial concessions that reward Russia’s invasion, The Guardian reported, while also seeking clarity from the U.S. on what security guarantees it can offer Ukraine.
Trump previously stated that a peace deal would involve Ukraine and Russia swapping land, a notion rejected by Zelenskyy.
Image credits: Lina Selg - Pool/Getty Images
Before his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump had been steadfast in the need for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Putin has continuously rejected calls for a ceasefire, a move Ukraine describes as a delay tactic for Russia to continue pursuing battlefield gains.
Trump also threatened to impose secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil, while considering further sanctions on Russia itself if no ceasefire deal was agreed.
Trump did not secure a ceasefire deal with Russia at the Alaska meeting on Friday
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
But he ultimately left Friday’s meeting with no deal, and both leaders were tight-lipped in front of the media when it came to offering details on what was discussed.
Later, on Saturday, Trump confirmed that his demand for a ceasefire had been dropped and described the meeting as “great and very successful.”
He said that after a call with Zelenskyy and other European leaders, it was “determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.”
Sources with knowledge of those calls told The Washington Post that Putin demanded control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which is made up of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Despite years of fighting, Russia has not managed to gain full control of that region.
As well as this, sources said that Moscow wants to keep control of the Ukrainian territory it has already seized.
If those conditions are met, Putin would “promise” to stop the war, the sources said.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Sunday, Zelenskyy said real negotiations would need to focus on where the front line is now.
“The contact line is the best line for talking,” he said. “Russia is still unsuccessful in the Donetsk region.”
Ukraine does not want to cede territory to Russia
Image credits: Institute for the Study of War
“Putin has been unable to take it for 12 years, and the Constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land.”
There are also concerns that any land ceded to Russia could be used to make further advances into Ukrainian territory.
On Friday, Trump and Putin both signalled they would be seeing each other again soon, with the Russian leader suggesting that their next meeting should be in Moscow.
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Friday’s meeting has been widely criticized as a humiliating blow for the U.S. and a win for Russia, with Trump not announcing any intention to pursue the sanctions he previously threatened.
The U.S. president spent the weekend defending the meeting on Truth Social, insisting it was a win and that peace was close.
“I had a great meeting in Alaska on Biden’s stupid War, a war that should have never happened!!!” one post read.
Image credits: Donald J Trump
“If I got Russia to give up Moscow as part of the Deal, the Fake News, and their PARTNER, the Radical Left Democrats, would say I made a terrible mistake and a very bad deal. That’s why they are the FAKE NEWS! Also, they should talk about the 6 WARS, etc., I JUST STOPPED!!! MAGA,” another post added, while a third said there had been “big progress on Russia.”
Monday’s meeting will be the first time Zelenskyy has been to the White House since February, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated him for not being grateful for U.S. support and for not wearing a suit.