United States President Donald Trump reportedly told Ukraine to abandon hopes of reclaiming Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and to agree never to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ahead of his meeting with European leaders in Washington on Monday.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that Zelenskyy can end the war “almost immediately” if he wants to. He also reminded of the 2014 annexation of Crimea under the Obama administration and ruled out Ukraine’s entry into NATO.
“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!!!” the US President posted.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy, who has arrived in Washington for talks with Trump, pushed back strongly against the temporary, short-term peace deal, stressing that the “peace must be lasting”. He referred to past incidents, such as when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea.
Zelenskyy announced his arrival in Washington and wrote in a post on X, “And peace must be lasting. 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.”
The Ukrainian President further asserted that Ukraine would not cede any more territory.
“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. Now, our soldiers have successes in Donetsk and Sumy regions. I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner and ally for their support and invaluable assistance,” he added.
Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting
The leaders from Europe, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) Keir Starmer, will attend the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy.
Putin-Trump Alaska Summit
The Trump-Zelenskyy meeting comes just three days after the US President’s high-stakes talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
After the “historic” meeting, the US President wrote on Truth Social, “A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO. 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 does not hold up.”
The Russian President concluded his joint press conference with the US President on Friday (local time) by inviting him for further talks in Moscow.
