Trump drops ceasefire demand for Ukraine war, tells allies Putin wants land Trump’s swerve increases pressure on the Ukrainian leader as he heads to the White House on Monday to make his case.
Zelensky has rejected Russian demands to cede Ukrainian land. The Ukrainian leader and his European partners, including the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, had lobbied the White House for weeks to demand that Moscow agree to a ceasefire before any negotiations.
Trump’s swerve increases pressure on the Ukrainian leader as he prepares to go to the White House on Monday to make his case. The Europeans are wary of a rushed deal on terms unfavorable to Ukraine that could reshape the continent’s security. Zelensky has said Ukraine cannot negotiate under attack.
After the summit, Trump told Zelensky and other European leaders that in addition to land Russia has seized in the war, Putin wants all of Donbas in exchange for a promise to end the war, according to four people familiar with the discussion. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
In years of fighting, Russia has been unable to seize all of Donbas. Russian forces occupy almost all of the Luhansk region of Donbas but only part of the strategic, fortified Donetsk region.
In the phone call, Trump conveyed that he was shifting away from the ceasefire demand and toward reaching a swift deal, which could make the Russian proposal the starting point for talks, two of the people said.
Trump told the Europeans he would be open to providing security guarantees for Ukraine in a deal but the details were unclear, according to two European diplomats. European leaders were invited to join Zelensky and Trump in the White House on Monday, the diplomats said.
The Europeans have said any agreement should protect Ukraine against further Russian attacks. They welcomed comments by Trump that he was open to the “possibility” of U.S. security guarantees.
Before the Alaska summit, European officials expressed guarded optimism that the United States was backing their ceasefire demand. But after the call on Saturday, Trump abandoned it publicly.
“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Putin has repeatedly rebuffed calls for a ceasefire. He has insisted instead on broader negotiations for a final peace deal. Ukraine and its European allies say such talks would be a stalling tactic for Russia to press its gains.
Trump confirmed in his post that he will meet with Zelensky on Monday.
Zelensky said Saturday that he and Trump had a “long and substantive” conversation, lasting around an hour, before they were joined on the call by European leaders.
He said he would meet with Trump “to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war,” he said. “Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace.”
It was important, he said, that European countries and the United States were “involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees” for Ukraine, and there were “positive signals” from Washington that the United States would participate in a security arrangement.
He also repeated his support for Trump’s earlier proposal for a trilateral summit of U.S., Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
Top Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said a trilateral summit was not broached in Alaska.
After the call Saturday, the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the European Union said they stood “ready to work with” Trump and Zelensky for the trilateral summit “with European support.”
“We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees,” they said in a joint statement.
They said there could be no limitations on Ukraine’s military, no “Russia veto” in its ambitions to join the E.U. or NATO, and that it remained “up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory.”
They did not mention an insistence on a ceasefire before any negotiations.
The leaders were joined on the call by NATO’s secretary general.
On Zelensky’s last visit to the White House, in February, Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of blocking a deal. European leaders worked with Zelensky to mend the relationship. Before the Alaska summit, Trump complained that Putin said he wanted to end the war but continued to attack Ukrainian cities.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested some cause for optimism Saturday.
There could be “much more to come, according to the American president — namely, a comprehensive peace agreement,” Merz told German broadcaster ZDF.
Merz called U.S. willingness to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine “good news.”
“But, of course,” he said, “the Europeans, for their part, must contribute to ensuring Ukraine’s security in the long term.”
The summit was seen as a public relations success for Putin, who was welcomed by Trump after years of Western isolation since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Trump told Fox News after the summit that he and Putin “agreed on a lot of points” but that “one or two pretty significant items” remained.
“It’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done,” Trump told Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit.”
Stern reported in Kyiv and O’Grady reported from Kharkiv. Catherine Belton in London, Michael Birnbaum in Alaska and Kate Brady in Berlin contributed to this report.
Summary:
The comments reflect a largely critical view of President Trump's handling of the proposed trilateral summit between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. Many commenters express skepticism about Trump's ability to negotiate effectively with Putin, suggesting that the summit was more beneficial to Russia than to Ukraine or the U.S. Some believe that Trump's approach lacks the necessary strength and understanding of international dynamics, while others argue that his actions may have undermined Ukraine's position. A few comments, however, acknowledge the potential for progress and suggest that Trump's involvement could be a step toward a peace agreement, albeit with significant challenges ahead.
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