Trump Says "If Zelensky Wants, the War Could End Immediately"

Trump Pressures Zelensky to Accept Russia's Terms for Peace Agreement

US President Donald Trump (left) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo by AFP News Agency

On August 17 (local time), US President Donald Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Russia's terms for a peace agreement, just one day before Zelensky was scheduled to meet with European leaders.

On the social networking service Truth Social, President Trump stated, "If President Zelensky wants, he could end the war with Russia almost immediately, or continue it," adding, "Remember how this all started." He went on to say, "Former President Barack Obama's decision to give up Crimea is irreversible, and Ukraine will not be allowed to join NATO," insisting, "Some things never change."

Crimea is a region that Russia forcibly annexed from Ukraine in March 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly demanded, during the US-Russia summit held in Anchorage, Alaska on August 15, that a peace agreement be signed under the conditions that Ukraine fully cede the Donbas region in the east and officially recognize Crimea as part of Russia. However, while President Putin maintained his opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, he did agree to collective security guarantees for Ukraine from Europe and the United States, similar to NATO, according to US Middle East envoy Steve Wittkoff on the same day.

President Trump also refuted reports that inviting so many European leaders to the White House is a major loss for him, calling such claims "fake news" and stating that, in fact, "this is a great honor for the United States." He also grouped together critics of his US-Russia summit results, such as Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and former US National Security Advisor John Bolton, referring to them as "stupid people."

On August 18, President Trump is scheduled to meet with President Zelensky and European leaders at the White House to continue follow-up discussions. Depending on the outcome of the talks, there is speculation that a US-Russia-Ukraine trilateral summit could be arranged.

Meanwhile, the leaders of major European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, held a virtual meeting with President Zelensky earlier that day to coordinate their positions before visiting the White House. According to a report by Reuters, the roughly two-hour meeting reaffirmed the need to guarantee European participation in negotiations with Ukraine, to halt lethal violence within Ukraine, and to ensure strong US security guarantees.

Arianna Podesta, Deputy Spokesperson for the European Commission, stated, "The discussions focused on halting lethal violence, maintaining pressure on Russia through sanctions, guaranteeing Ukraine's territorial decision-making rights, and providing strong security guarantees." She added, "This meeting also serves as an expression of unity in support of a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine."