Donald Trump has piled pressure on his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, before talks in Washington on Monday, saying the leader could end the war “almost immediately” if he wanted to.
The president’s comments were posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, hours before he was due to meet Zelenskyy and the leaders of Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the EU and Nato at the Oval Office.
Following his meeting with the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, on Friday, Trump also ruled out Ukraine joining Nato or recovering Russian-occupied Crimea. He posted on Sunday: “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. 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!!!”
According to the official schedule, Trump and Zelenskyy were set to meet privately in the Oval Office before being joined by leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the EU, and NATO in a larger session. The U.S. administration appears to be moving beyond the idea of a preliminary ceasefire and toward a broader political settlement, even as Russian strikes continue across eastern Ukraine. This shift suggests Trump is aiming to craft a “grand bargain,” potentially forcing concessions from Kyiv in exchange for security guarantees.
For European leaders, Trump’s positioning raises alarm. Many fear a deal that locks in Russia’s territorial gains would undermine the postwar order that prohibits changing borders by force. EU diplomats have stressed that any sustainable peace must be “just and durable,” which implies not rewarding aggression. France and Germany in particular are pushing for guarantees that Ukraine will not be left vulnerable to future Russian offensives.
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