US President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to forget reclaiming annexed Crimea or joining NATO as he prepares to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Washington on Monday. The goal is to push Kyiv towards a peace deal with Russia.
After welcoming Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump is pressuring Ukraine to agree to a resolution for Europe’s most lethal conflict in 80 years, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions.
The White House announced that Trump will first meet Zelensky, followed by leaders from Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union, and NATO. These European leaders are traveling to Washington to demonstrate support for Ukraine and to advocate for robust security assurances in any peace agreement.
An injured woman is taken to an ambulance at the site of an attack in Kharkiv. — AFP
Trump’s team emphasized on Sunday that compromises must come from both sides. However, Trump places the onus on Zelensky to end the conflict initiated by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. His remarks about NATO and Crimea, occupied by Russia in 2014 under Barack Obama’s administration, indicate a strong push on Zelensky during Monday’s meeting. Trump declared on Truth Social, “Zelensky can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No recovering Crimea from Obama (12 years ago, without a single shot!), and NO UKRAINE JOINING NATO.”
Ukraine and its allies have long been wary of Trump possibly endorsing a deal advantageous to Moscow. However, they are encouraged by developments such as Trump’s apparent openness to providing security assurances for Ukraine after a settlement.
However, Zelensky has mostly dismissed the terms of Putin’s proposals from the Alaska meeting, which include ceding the rest of the eastern Donetsk region, currently under partial Ukrainian control.
Zelensky is also advocating for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate more in-depth peace discussions. Though Trump initially supported this approach, he changed his stance following the summit with Putin, signaling favor for Russia’s preferred strategy of negotiating a comprehensive agreement while hostilities continue.
The White House stated Trump will first meet Zelensky at 1:15 p.m. EDT (1715 GMT) in the Oval Office, followed by a meeting with all European leaders in the East Room at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT).
Upon arriving in Washington late Sunday, the Ukrainian president, seeking to avoid a repeat of the tense Oval Office meeting with Trump in February, expressed gratitude for Trump’s invitation.
“We all equally wish to end this war swiftly and securely,” Zelensky stated on the Telegram messaging app. “Russia must end this war — the war it initiated. I hope our united strength with America and our European partners will compel Russia to genuine peace.”
In overnight assaults, Russia launched missiles and drones, striking Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, near the Russian border, resulting in seven casualties, including two children, officials reported.
“They targeted an ordinary apartment block; many families lived here, with small children, a playground, a residential area — no offices, nothing else. We lived here peacefully,” said Olena Yakusheva, a local resident, as firefighters and rescue workers responded.
On the battlefield, Russia is slowly advancing, leveraging its superiority in manpower and firepower. Putin asserts he will continue fighting until his military goals are achieved.
RUSSIAN PEACE PROPOSAL
The outline of Putin’s proposals, as reported by Reuters, appear unacceptable to Zelensky. Ukrainian forces are entrenched in the Donetsk region, which serves as a vital defensive area against Russian advances.
European leaders, concerned about being excluded from the dialogue following a summit with Putin, convened a call with Zelensky on Sunday to coordinate a unified strategy for the meetings with Trump.
“It’s crucial for Europeans to be present: (Trump) respects them, behaves differently when they’re around,” Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian lawmaker from Zelensky’s ruling party, told Reuters.
“D-Day at the White House,” declared Britain’s Daily Mail, while the Daily Mirror headlined “Europe takes a stand.” Germany’s Die Welt dubbed it the “moment of truth” for the US president.
“It is likely not an exaggeration to say the entire world is watching Washington,” stated Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul at a press briefing.
Relations between Kyiv and Washington, once extremely close, have been strained since Trump returned to the White House in January.
Nonetheless, Ukraine’s urgent need for US weapons and intelligence sharing, some of which have no alternatives, has compelled Zelensky and his allies to collaborate with Trump.
