President Trump claimed Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could bring the nation’s war with Russia to a halt “almost immediately” if he’s willing to make two major concessions.
Trump called for Ukraine to drop its bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a demand long made by Russia, and also said there would be “no getting back” Crimea — signaling to the nation to accept Russia’s illegal 2014 annexation of the region during the Obama administration.
“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 commander-in-chief proclaimed in a late-night Truth Social post.
Trump’s message comes just one day before a high-profile summit Monday at the White House, where he is expected to meet with Zelensky and several European leaders to discuss next steps in the three-and-a-half-year conflict.
“Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!! President DJT,” Trump wrote in another Truth Social post earlier Sunday.
Ahead of the planned meeting, Zelensky posted to X to thank the United States for its support, but also signaled that peace must not be short-lived.
“I have already arrived in Washington, tomorrow I am meeting with President Trump. Tomorrow we are also speaking with European leaders. I am grateful to @POTUS for the invitation. We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably,” Zelensky wrote Sunday night.
The Ukrainian leader also spoke out on Crimea, alleging its relinquishment to Moscow paved the way for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s future invasion of Ukraine.
“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,” he tweeted.
“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,” he wrote.
“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. Russia must end this war, which it itself started,” Zelensky said.
Trump’s rambling social posts follow remarks from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said any lasting peace deal would require both Russia and Ukraine to make hard compromises.
“What it’s going to take to stop the fighting, if we’re being honest and serious here, is both sides are going to have to give, and both sides should expect to get something from this,” Rubio told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
“It’s very difficult because Ukraine obviously feels, you know, harmed, and rightfully so, because they were invaded,” he added. “And the Russian side, because they feel like they got momentum in the battlefield.”
Rubio didn’t delve into specifics about the territorial concessions Ukraine will have to make, which is expected to be the topic of discussion between Zelensky and Trump during their White House meeting Monday.
On Sunday, Trump reposted a user’s remark on Truth Social that Ukraine will have to make territorial concessions to Russia in order to end the war.
Putin had demanded that Ukraine surrender the remaining quarter of Donetsk, a minerals-rich, Russian-speaking region, as part of a deal to end the war during Friday’s summit in Alaska.
In exchange, Putin expressed a willingness to freeze fighting on the front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russia has struggled to make significant progress, Axios reported.
Zelensky, however, said that while Kyiv would be open to “land swaps” in exchange for peace, Putin’s demands to cede the entirety of the Donetsk region — including parts under Ukrainian control — are off the table.
“We need real negotiations, which means they can start where the front line is now,” Zelensky told reporters in Brussels on Sunday. “The contact line is the best line for talking.
“Russia is still unsuccessful in the Donetsk region,” he added. “Putin has been unable to take it for 12 years, and the Constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land.”
While Russia currently controls a large swath of territory across both regions, Ukraine has been able to keep Moscow’s forces from claiming the entire regions during three years of all-out war.
Kyiv still holds the key cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, with hundreds of Moscow’s troops killed or wounded every week in the quagmire.
Critics also fear that, because of the heavy Ukrainian fortifications in Donetsk, if they were to hand the region over to the Russians, the Kremlin could cut much farther into Ukraine in a possible future attack.
