It’s not the first time the Trump administration has suggested land swapping that could favor Russian strategic aims, though the U.S. president has more recently talked up Kyiv’s prospects in the war.
“Zelenskyy did not agree that Ukraine has to give up land that Russia did not manage to occupy.
In the end, Trump ended the meeting, saying: ‘OK, let’s try to end this on the current line,’” the person mentioned quoted above said.
The first person quoted above, who was familiar with the meeting, told POLITICO that “Trump did not toss any war maps.
Zelenskyy’s team was also advised not to prioritize the Tomahawks, especially in light of the Trump-Putin phone call the day before the White House meeting with Ukraine’s president.
U. A. In his meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, President Donald Trump brought up the subject of Kyiv ceding territory to Russia once more, but he ultimately decided to “try to end this on the current line,” according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
According to a second source with knowledge of the meeting who was given anonymity to speak about it, Zelenskyy had come to the White House in the hopes of persuading Trump to grant Ukraine Tomahawk missiles to aid it in its defense against the Russian invasion, but he was disappointed with the summit’s conclusion.
Following Friday’s meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump, who spent two hours on Thursday speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated: “I believe President Putin wants to end the war.”. “.”.
However, the above-quoted source with knowledge of the situation claims that during the discussions with Zelenskyy, the “Americans said that Putin wants to keep fighting, and he has a strong war machine.”. “.”.
Next, [U. S. . There was a sense in the room that the Americans were testing the Ukrainians and what they [would] agree on: “The Russians aim to take the entire Donbas [region in eastern Ukraine],” said special envoy Steve Witkoff, who entered the discussion.
Ukraine refuses to give up the heavily fortified Donbas region because it believes it would create a clear path for Russia to more easily annex more territory. The U.S. government has previously proposed land swaps that might benefit Russian strategic objectives. A. The president has recently praised Kyiv’s chances in the conflict.
Zelenskyy disagreed that Ukraine should cede territory that Russia was unable to seize. The person cited above stated that Trump concluded the meeting by saying, “All right, let’s try to end this on the current line.”.
The U. S. . European leaders, who have been trying to persuade Trump that Russia’s public statements of willingness to end the conflict it started are a charade, will be irritated by the president’s apparent renewed credulity regarding Putin’s approach to the war.
A second person with knowledge of the negotiations told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook, “Putin seems to have changed President Trump’s mind on Ukraine once again with a single phone call.”.
“We were talking about Tomahawk missiles four days ago, but now the focus is on Ukraine giving up territory,” they continued. Europe is responsible for ensuring that Ukraine benefits from the next change in Trump’s stance. “.”.
Regarding territorial concessions, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took the lead in writing on Sunday on X, saying, “None of us should put pressure on Zelenskyy.”. All of us should exert pressure on Russia to halt its aggression. A fair and sustainable peace was never achieved by appeasement. “.”.
His statement followed the Financial Times, which cited multiple sources, reporting that Zelenskyy and Trump’s meeting had at times devolved into a heated argument reminiscent of their contentious meeting at the White House in February, with Trump “cursing all the time,” throwing aside frontline maps, and demanding that Zelenskyy cede the entire Donbas region to Russia.
“Trump did not toss any war maps,” the first source mentioned above, who was aware of the meeting, told POLITICO. He simply expressed his fatigue with various maps. “.”.
Speaking to Playbook, an EU diplomat claimed that the meeting was “not as bleak as reported.”. “”.
There had been no swearing by Trump, according to two Republican foreign policy analysts who had firsthand knowledge of the White House meeting. One said, “The meeting wasn’t a disaster, but rather a dud for the Ukrainians.”.
“It wasn’t a bad meeting, just a victim of poor timing and inflated expectations,” the other person stated. Zelenskyy’s Republican allies in Ukraine had urged him to cancel his trip, saying it was ill-timed in light of the government shutdown in Washington and the White House’s attention on the Middle East.
Additionally, Zelenskyy’s team was cautioned against giving the Tomahawks priority, particularly in view of the Trump-Putin phone conversation the day before the White House meeting with the president of Ukraine.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy told reporters that Trump’s message had been “mixed.”. In response to a question about his confidence in obtaining Tomahawks, he smiled wryly and said, “I’m realistic,” adding that Trump’s hesitation was limited to the U.S. S. role “for today. “.”.
Lola Boom, Nick Vinocur, and Jamie Dettmer all contributed to this report.
