Prior to meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday (local time) in Washington that the Ukrainian leader has the power to halt the conflict with Russia practically at once if he chooses to.
Trump also brought up the 2014 annexation of Crimea under the Obama administration and excluded Ukraine's membership in NATO.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has the option of either ending the war with Russia right away or continuing to fight. Recall how it began. There is no return Crimea was handed to Obama 12 years ago (without a single gunshot being fired! ), and Ukraine was denied entry into NATO. "Certain things remain the same! " Trump posted on Truth. Social.
Zelenskyy, who is in Washington to meet with Trump, fiercely opposed the temporary, short-term peace agreement, insisting that the peace must be long-lasting. He mentioned prior events, such as when Ukraine was compelled to cede Crimea.
And peace must be enduring. Not like years ago, when Ukraine was compelled to cede Crimea and a portion of our Eastpart of Donbas, which Putin then just utilized as a launching pad for a new assault. In an X (formerly Twitter) post announcing his arrival in Washington, Zelenskyy wrote that Ukraine received so-called "security guarantees" in 1994, but they were ineffective.
He also said that Ukraine would not give up any more land. Just as Ukrainians didn't surrender Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv following 2022, Crimea shouldn't have been given up then. The Ukrainian people are battling for their freedom and their land. Our forces are currently winning in the Donetsk and Sumy districts. I am sure that we will be able to defend Ukraine, provide effective security, and ensure that our citizens will always be appreciative to President Trump, all of America, and all of our allies and partners for their support and invaluable help, he continued.
The TrumpZelenskyy encounter occurs only three days after Trump's high-stakes discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which the US leader deemed to be successful.
The US President posted on Truth following the three-hour meeting. Social, a fantastic and productive day in Alaska! The meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a late-night phone conversation with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, as well as numerous European leaders, including the well-regarded NATO Secretary General, all went quite well. Everyone agreed that the best way to stop the terrible war between Russia and Ukraine is to immediately pursue a Peace Agreement, which would bring the war to an end, as opposed to a Ceasefire Agreement, which are frequently ineffective.
In an interview with NBC News Meet the Press, US Secretary Marco Rubio said that while traveling back from Alaska, the President personally phoned Zelenskyy and a number of European leaders from his aircraft.
The President phoned them from the plane and spoke with them for two hours in the middle of the night. We have been interacting with them at every stage of the process because we are attempting to determine what we can achieve that both parties can concur upon, and it has been challenging. This is a difficult set of questions. However, Rubio stated that we are devoting a significant amount of time to it.
Rubio pointed out that Moscow's terms are anything but acceptable when it comes to what Russia is asking for in a peaceful agreement. The Ukrainians are requesting things that the Russians will never agree to surrender, and he is indeed requesting things that the Ukrainians and others are unwilling to support and that we would never pressure them to provide, he stated.
The meeting is anticipated to be attended by leaders from France, Germany, the UK, Italy, and Finland, according to CNN. The delegation will also include NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
According to CNN, the Élysee Palace said that French President Emmanuel Macron will continue the work of coordinating Europeans and the United States in order to find a fair and sustainable peace that protects Ukraine's critical interests as well as the security of Europe.
According to the office of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, he will bring up the state of the peace process in Ukraine with the other participants and emphasize Germany's desire for a prompt peace deal.
In addition to announcing that he would also be attending the meeting in Washington, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer lauded Zelenskyy's wish for a fair and lasting peace.
During his summit with Trump on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently agreed to permit US security guarantees for Ukraine and made concessions on land swaps as part of a possible peace agreement, according to CNN, citing Trump's top envoy Steve Witkoff. However, these agreements seem to contradict Putin's previous remarks, and Russia has not yet made any mention of them.
