Monday, August 18, 2025 - US Leader, Donald Trump has increased pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of high-stakes talks in Washington, suggesting that Ukraine could “end the war almost immediately” if it abandoned its pursuit of NATO membership and efforts to reclaim Crimea.
Posting on his Truth Social account, Trump stated:
“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!!!”
The comments came just hours before Zelenskyy’s scheduled
White House meeting with Trump, followed by a larger summit with European
leaders including those from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the EU,
and NATO. Diplomats are concerned that Trump may pressure Kyiv into accepting
concessions favorable to Moscow.
The European delegation is expected to reaffirm support for
Ukraine’s sovereignty and oppose any peace deal involving territorial
concessions. They are also seeking clarity on what kind of security guarantees
Washington might extend to Ukraine outside of NATO.
Arriving in Washington late Sunday, Zelenskyy struck a tone
of unity and resilience:
“I am grateful to the president of the United
States for the invitation. We all equally want to end this war swiftly and
reliably. I hope that our shared strength with America and with our European
friends will compel Russia to real peace,” he wrote on Telegram and X.
The White House confirmed Trump will meet Zelenskyy first in
the Oval Office before hosting European leaders in the East Room.
The talks follow Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska
last week, widely seen as a win for Moscow. Trump, however, insisted that the
meeting had made “big progress” on Russia.
Meanwhile, Russia’s envoy to international organizations in
Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said any future peace deal must include security
guarantees not only for Kyiv but also for Moscow.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, ahead of the Washington
summit, praised Trump’s efforts to pursue peace but stressed that no settlement
could be reached without Ukraine’s full involvement. He also urged tougher
sanctions on Russia.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, added that Putin had,
for the first time, agreed to allow U.S. and European protection for Ukraine as
part of a deal — a structure outside NATO but modeled on the alliance’s Article
5 collective defense principle.
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