You leave it the way it is right now,” Mr. Trump told reporters Sunday on Air Force One, apparently referring specifically to the Donbas region.
Let both claim Victory, let History decide,” Mr. Trump said Sunday.
The White House meeting followed Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy’s incredibly tense encounter in front of television cameras in February.
That arrangement was worked out between Mr. Trump and other NATO leaders earlier in the summer.
We don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country,” Mr. Trump said.
With Russia’s invading forces controlling the majority of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, President Trump reaffirmed his demand on Sunday for an immediate end to the three-and-a-half-year full-scale conflict in Ukraine, stating that the battle lines should remain frozen where they are.
The idea of giving up the Donbas or any other occupied territory to Moscow has been repeatedly rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the years since Vladimir Putin gave the order for Russia’s full-scale invasion in February. 24, 2022. .
“Let it be cut in its natural state. It’s currently cut up. I believe that Russia has already seized 78% of the land. Mr. Trump reportedly made reference to the Donbas region when he told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, “You leave it the way it is right now.”. “At a later time, they can negotiate something. But I told them to stop at the battle line and cut. Head home. Give up fighting and killing. “.
Many people who speak Russian and support Moscow live in the Donbas, a region of cultural and economic importance. The Associated Press claims that it is the location of a large portion of Ukraine’s mining and heavy industry, which together accounted for roughly 16% of the nation’s GDP prior to the start of the conflict.
He made his comments two days after Mr. Trump met Zelenskyy in person at the White House, and two days after he spent two hours on the phone with Putin.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said he had urged European leaders to put “the right kind of pressure” on Russia, seemingly reiterating Kyiv’s refusal to give up any territory for a ceasefire on Sunday.
“We are now in contact with leaders virtually every day to make sure that we all in Europe share a stance on applying the proper amount of pressure on Russia. In a post on social media, Zelenskyy declared, “We will not give the aggressor any presents and we will not forget anything.”.
Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, stated on Sunday that Ukraine should not be pressured to make territorial concessions.
He wrote on social media, “When it comes to territorial concessions, none of us should put pressure on Zelenskyy.”. Pressure should be applied by all of us to Russia to halt its aggression. There was never a fair and sustainable peace achieved through appeasement. “..”.
Zelenskyy described his Friday meeting with Mr. Trump in the Oval Office as a “pointed conversation” in another social media post. “.
According to the Financial Times newspaper on Sunday, Mr. Trump was “cursing all the time” during the meeting, which occasionally turned into a shouting match. An official familiar with the situation told the FT that Mr. Trump threw the maps of the battlefield that Zelenskyy’s delegation had brought in to one side, stating that he was “sick” of seeing them.
The White House did not elaborate on the meeting when it referred reporters on Air Force One to Mr. Trump’s comments in response to a request for comment on the report of a second heated exchange between the leaders. CBS News’s request for comment on this story was not immediately answered by the Ukrainian president’s office.
Regards, Mr. Trump described his encounter with the Ukrainian leader as “very interesting, and cordial” in a post on his own social media account, Truth Social. “.
“Ukraine shares President Trump’s positive outlook if it leads to the end of the war,” Zelenskyy told reporters Sunday in comments that were prohibited until Monday. His message, which I believe is constructive after numerous rounds of discussion with him and his team spanning more than two hours, is that we should remain on the line of contact as long as everyone involved understands what is being said. “,”.
“I told him—as I also strongly suggested to President Putin—that enough blood has been shed, and that property lines are being drawn by War and Guts. They ought to stop right there. Mr. Trump stated on Sunday, “Let both claim victory; let history decide.”.
After a highly tense encounter in front of television cameras in February, Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy met at the White House.
The president had a phone conversation with Putin on Thursday. In order to discuss a potential ceasefire agreement, the White House announced that Mr. Trump and Putin would meet again in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, at an unspecified time. It will probably occur in a few weeks, according to Mr. Trump.
After in-person discussions in Alaska in August, this will be their second bilateral meeting of the year. Moscow has persisted in its military campaign, capturing more ground and attacking Ukrainian cities from the air, so Mr. Trump’s diplomatic attempt has produced no noticeable results. Trump has urged Putin to meet with Zelenskyy in a three-way meeting, but Putin has so far refused.
U. S. . and Ukrainian officials told CBS News that Zelenskyy had hoped that Mr. Trump would reach an agreement to supply Tomahawk missiles during Friday’s meeting, but that hasn’t happened yet. Long-range, guided cruise missiles are essential, according to Kyiv, in order to enable Ukraine’s military forces to strike vital military, logistical, and energy targets located deep within Russia.
In recent months, Ukraine has increased its attacks on vital Russian energy infrastructure. The Orenburg Gas plant in southern Russia, one of the biggest natural gas processing facilities in the nation, was hit, according to a social media post on Sunday by the General Staff of the Armed Services, Ukraine’s military headquarters.
According to the general staff, “the Defense Forces of Ukraine are consistently implementing a set of measures to damage critical enterprises involved in ensuring the needs of the Russian Armed Forces,”.
Since August, the Trump administration has sold Ukraine weapons through its European NATO allies, who pay for the equipment. This arrangement was negotiated earlier in the summer between Mr. Trump and other NATO leaders.
During his meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday, Mr. Trump remained silent when reporters questioned him about a possible agreement to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, despite glowing indications from the White House in recent months.
Let me state this: we also want Tomahawks. In order to safeguard our nation, we don’t want to be giving anything away,” Mr. Trump stated.
On the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday, Vice President JD Vance informed reporters that President Trump has not yet decided whether to allow Ukraine to use the missiles.
“He will sell more weapons to Europe if he believes it is in America’s best interest, but he hasn’t decided on that yet with regard to Tomahawks,” Vance stated.
