 "Trump says Zelenskyy can decide to end the war 'immediately', Nato membership & Crimea off the table")
Ahead of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump said that Kyiv can “end the war with Russia almost immediately”. However, Trump’s gracious offer comes with a cost, i.e. no NATO membership and abandoning dreams to bring Crimea back to Ukraine.
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump said in a post on TruthSocial, days after holding talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. “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!!!” he added.
It is pertinent to note that Trump’s remarks on the matter came on the eve of a crucial White House meeting with the Ukrainian president and European leaders , including Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, and Friedrich Merz. A minute after the initial post, Trump wrote that it would be a “great honour” to host so many European leaders at one time at the White House.
Europe intends to avoid a deja vu moment
The remarks may spark alarm among European diplomats keen to avoid a repeat of the public mauling of Zelenskyy during his last trip to the White House in February. At that time, both Trump and US Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian leaders of ingratitude and disrespect and told him, “You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now.”
Even before Trump’s remarks, Zelenskyy was already facing immense pressure to reverse the damage done by the Alaska Summit. Soon after his talks with Putin, Trump went on to accuse the media of misrepresenting his “great meeting in Alaska” – an encounter widely seen as a victory for Putin and a humiliation for the US president.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOn Sunday, Trump insisted that he made “big progress” on Russia, without giving details. During their visit, European leaders are planning to seek more clarity on what security guarantees the US is willing to offer in the event of a settlement.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s envoy to international organisations in Vienna, said early on Monday that Russia agrees that any future Ukraine peace agreement must provide security guarantees to Kyiv, but added that Russia “has equal right to expect that Moscow will also get efficient security guarantees”.
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