US President Donald Trump has intensified the pressure on Ukraine to accept an agreement that could conclude Russia’s ongoing conflict, asserting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has the power to put an end to the dispute “almost immediately.”
In a message sent to Zelenskyy just before his significant visit to the White House on Monday, Trump indicated that certain concessions—such as the retrieval of Crimea, which is currently under Russian control, and the integration of Ukraine into NATO—would not be part of any prospective negotiated settlement.
Trump conveyed on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.”
“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!!!”
Trump’s opinions emerged as European leaders prepared to join Zelenskyy on his trip to Washington, DC, on Monday, amidst concerns from Brussels and Kyiv that the US president may sanction a peace deal that is too advantageous for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following Trump’s statements on Sunday, Zelenskyy responded, stressing that previous capitulations to Moscow, including the cession of Crimea, merely bolstered Putin’s resolve to pursue further conflict.
“We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting,” Zelenskyy stated on X.
“Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East – part of Donbas – and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack. Or when Ukraine was given so called ‘security guarantees’ in 1994, but they didn’t work.”
Zelenskyy further asserted, “Crimea should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022.”
“Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence,” he concluded.
While Trump signaled that a deal with Moscow could result in “some swapping, changes in land” between Russia and Ukraine, Zelenskyy has consistently refused to surrender Ukrainian territory to the “occupier.”
To encourage ongoing support for Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will join Monday’s talks at the White House.
Macron stated on Sunday that European leaders and Zelenskyy would strive to present a united stance against Russian aggression.
“If we show weakness today in front of Russia, we are laying the ground for future conflicts,” Macron remarked.
Despite Trump’s dismissal of the possibility of Ukraine’s NATO membership, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff indicated that Putin had consented to support US-backed security guarantees that mirror NATO’s collective defense provision during his recent meeting with Trump in Alaska.
“We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” Witkoff relayed on CNN’s State of the Union.
Under Article 5, an armed attack against a NATO member is considered an attack against all members.
Nevertheless, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to downplay expectations on Sunday, stating that the achievement of a peace agreement remains “a long way off.”
“We’re not at the precipice of a peace agreement,” Rubio said on ABC’s This Week.
“We made progress in the sense that we identified potential areas of agreement, but there remain some big areas of disagreement.”
In a message sent to Zelenskyy just before his significant visit to the White House on Monday, Trump indicated that certain concessions—such as the retrieval of Crimea, which is currently under Russian control, and the integration of Ukraine into NATO—would not be part of any prospective negotiated settlement.
Trump conveyed on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.”
“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!!!”
Trump’s opinions emerged as European leaders prepared to join Zelenskyy on his trip to Washington, DC, on Monday, amidst concerns from Brussels and Kyiv that the US president may sanction a peace deal that is too advantageous for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following Trump’s statements on Sunday, Zelenskyy responded, stressing that previous capitulations to Moscow, including the cession of Crimea, merely bolstered Putin’s resolve to pursue further conflict.
“We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting,” Zelenskyy stated on X.
“Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East – part of Donbas – and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack. Or when Ukraine was given so called ‘security guarantees’ in 1994, but they didn’t work.”
Zelenskyy further asserted, “Crimea should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022.”
“Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence,” he concluded.
While Trump signaled that a deal with Moscow could result in “some swapping, changes in land” between Russia and Ukraine, Zelenskyy has consistently refused to surrender Ukrainian territory to the “occupier.”
To encourage ongoing support for Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will join Monday’s talks at the White House.
Macron stated on Sunday that European leaders and Zelenskyy would strive to present a united stance against Russian aggression.
“If we show weakness today in front of Russia, we are laying the ground for future conflicts,” Macron remarked.
Despite Trump’s dismissal of the possibility of Ukraine’s NATO membership, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff indicated that Putin had consented to support US-backed security guarantees that mirror NATO’s collective defense provision during his recent meeting with Trump in Alaska.
“We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” Witkoff relayed on CNN’s State of the Union.
Under Article 5, an armed attack against a NATO member is considered an attack against all members.
Nevertheless, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to downplay expectations on Sunday, stating that the achievement of a peace agreement remains “a long way off.”
“We’re not at the precipice of a peace agreement,” Rubio said on ABC’s This Week.
“We made progress in the sense that we identified potential areas of agreement, but there remain some big areas of disagreement.”
