United States President Donald Trump said Ukraine should abandon the perspective of joining NATO and recovering Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, as a condition to end the war. The statement occurs hours before meeting on Monday (18) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders in the White House.
“Zelensky can end the war almost immediately, if he wants,” Trump wrote in his social trhetic network, adding that “there is no return to Crimea” and that there will be no Ukraine entry into the Western Military Alliance.
Trump received Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, last Friday (15), and has been pressing Kiev to accept a peace agreement. According to US authorities, conversations with Putin included five Ukrainian regions, but did not result in ceasefire.
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Steve Witkoff, sent from Trump, told CNN that the Russian President waved with possible concessions, including in the area of security guarantees, although outside NATO. “The Russians made some concessions on the table with respect to all five regions,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was also at the meeting, adopted more cautious tone. In an interview with ABChe stated that there are still “large areas of disagreement” and that an agreement is not close. “We are not at the limit of a peace agreement, but I believe there was progress,” he said.
Despite Trump and his advisors, Zelensky has rejected the Russian proposal to give up east territories, including Donetsk, of which Kiev still controls about a quarter. The Ukrainian leader seeks an immediate ceasefire to deepen negotiations, a position he has already had Trump’s support, but was relativized after the meeting with Putin.
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On Monday’s agenda, Trump will meet first with Zelensky in the Oval Hall and then in the East Hall of the White House. According to the US government, the European presence seeks to strengthen pressures for security guarantees for Kiev in any agreement.
While negotiations unfold, the war is active. On Sunday night, Russian attacks with missiles and drones hit Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, leaving seven dead, including two children, according to local authorities.
