Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of high-stakes talks in Washington, suggesting Kyiv could “end the war almost immediately” by abandoning its NATO ambitions and claims over Crimea.
Writing on Truth Social, the U.S. President said:
“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 landed just hours before Zelenskyy’s scheduled Oval Office meeting with Trump, followed by a summit with European leaders representing Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the EU, and NATO. Diplomats fear Trump may push Kyiv toward concessions favorable to Moscow.
European leaders are expected to reaffirm their opposition to any deal involving territorial losses for Ukraine, while also pressing Washington on what security guarantees it could offer Kyiv outside of NATO.
Arriving in Washington late Sunday, Zelenskyy struck a defiant tone:
“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.
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. And peace must be lasting. Not…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 18, 2025
The talks come days after Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, a meeting widely seen as a win for Moscow. Trump described it as “big progress” on Russia.
Russia’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said any lasting peace would require security guarantees for both Kyiv and Moscow.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking ahead of the Washington meetings, praised Trump’s stated pursuit of peace but insisted that no settlement could bypass Ukraine. He also called for stronger sanctions against Russia.
Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Putin had, for the first time, signaled openness to a deal in which Ukraine would receive U.S. and European protection outside NATO, based on NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense principle.
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