US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a direct peace agreement is the best way to end the war in Ukraine, rather than just a ceasefire, a potential change in his initial position following a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv needs a “real peace, not a temporary pause in Russian attacks” and announced he would travel to Washington on Monday for talks with his US counterpart.
Following his meeting with Putin, Trump described the talks as “very successful.” In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said a subsequent phone call with Zelenskyy and several European leaders, including NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, “went very well.”
“Everyone agrees that the best way to end the war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement that ends the war, instead of just a ceasefire agreement that sometimes may not last long,” Trump wrote.
“If the meeting with Zelenskyy on Monday goes well, we will set a date to meet with Putin. This could potentially save the lives of millions of people,” he added.
The statement appears to mark a shift in Trump’s stance. As he was travelling to Alaska, he told reporters he “would not be satisfied if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire,” Britain’s Sky News noted.
A senior Ukrainian lawmaker said Trump was “adopting Putin’s position by suggesting abandoning a ceasefire in favour of a quick peace deal.”
“Unfortunately, Trump has taken Putin’s position. This was Putin’s demand,” Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the foreign affairs committee in Ukraine’s parliament, told Reuters.
Zelenskyy seeks ‘real peace’
After speaking with Trump, Zelenskyy said he held a call with European leaders and stressed that his country needed a genuine and lasting peace. He said he told Trump of the need to increase pressure on Russia and ensure reliable, long-term security, insisting that Europe and America must provide security guarantees.
He reiterated that issues related to territory could only be resolved with Ukraine’s involvement.
Zelenskyy confirmed he would visit Washington on Monday to discuss “the details of ending the war with Russia.” He said his phone call with Trump “lasted more than an hour and a half,” beginning as a one-on-one discussion before European leaders were invited to join.
The Ukrainian president expressed support for a trilateral summit involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia. “Substantive issues can be discussed at the leadership level, and the trilateral format is suitable for that,” he said.
Talks with European leaders
During his call with European leaders, Trump said Putin “prefers a comprehensive agreement to end the war with Ukraine” and does not want a temporary ceasefire, a source on the call told Axios.
“I think a quick peace deal is better than a ceasefire,” Trump reportedly told the leaders.
In addition to Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, and leaders from Germany, Finland, Poland, Italy, and Britain also participated in the call.
Zelenskyy said the call included a discussion of “positive signals” from Washington regarding security guarantees.
Alaska summit outcome
The summit in Alaska on Friday between Trump and Putin, which lasted over two and a half hours, was described by both sides as “fruitful,” though their public statements did not confirm any full agreement on Ukraine.
After the meeting, Trump said in an interview with Fox News that it was “really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done.” He added, “The European countries have to step up a little bit, but it’s up to President Zelenskyy… and if they’d like, I’ll be at the next meeting.”
A Kremlin official, quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency, said the topic of a trilateral summit “has not yet been discussed” and that there was “no information yet on a date” for another meeting between Putin and Trump.
