WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday called on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end their brutal war following a lengthy White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In recent weeks, he had shown growing impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed greater openness to helping Ukraine win the war.
“It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no,’ but for today, didn’t say ‘yes,'” he said.
They don’t intend to stop,” Zelenskyy added.
But the Russian leader hasn’t shown any interest in meeting with Zelenskyy and Moscow has only intensified its bombardment of Ukraine.
WASHINGTON — After a protracted White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump urged Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and put an end to their bloody conflict on Friday.
Trump has frequently expressed his frustration with the conflict in the nine months since he took office again, but his most recent remarks veered back toward calling on Ukraine to stop pursuing reclaiming territory that it has lost to Russia.
Shortly after hosting Zelenskyy and his team for over two hours of talks, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts,”. “Wherever they are, they ought to stop. History will decide whether either of them wins.
Later, shortly after landing in Florida for the weekend, Trump called on both sides to “stop the war immediately” and suggested that Moscow should retain the territory it had stolen from Kyiv.
Trump told reporters, “You follow the battle line wherever it is — otherwise it’s too complicated.”. “You should stop at the battle line, and both sides should return home, see their families, and put an end to the killing.”. “.”.
Trump’s stance on the war changed once again as a result of the remarks. He had become increasingly irritated with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks and had shown a greater willingness to assist Ukraine in winning the conflict.
Having met with Zelenskyy in New York during the annual U.S. N. . Trump even expressed his belief that the Ukrainians could reclaim all of the territory they had lost to Russia since Putin’s invasion in February 2022 at the General Assembly last month. This was a significant change for Trump, who had previously maintained that in order to end the war, Kyiv would have to give up territory that it had lost to Russia.
After the meeting on Friday, Zelenskyy declared that a ceasefire and negotiations were needed. When asked if Trump was pressuring Ukraine to cede land, he avoided giving a direct response.
When questioned by reporters about Trump’s social media post, which he hadn’t seen, Zelenskyy responded, “The president is right we have to stop where we are, and then to speak.”.
An additional shift in tone.
In a long phone conversation with Putin on Thursday, Trump said he would meet with the Russian leader in Budapest, Hungary, in the upcoming weeks, which changed his tone on the war.
Additionally, the president gave Zelenskyy a hint on Friday that he is inclined not to sell him long-range Tomahawk missiles, which the Ukrainians think could be a game-changer in forcing Putin to engage in talks.
When the White House negotiations began, Zelenskyy stated that he had a “proposition” whereby Washington would sell Kyiv Tomahawk cruise missiles in exchange for Ukraine giving the US its sophisticated drones.
Trump, however, claimed he was reluctant to use the U. S. supply, a reversal from days earlier when he had indicated that he was considering sending the missiles to assist Ukraine in repelling Russia’s invasion.
Trump stated, “I have a responsibility to ensure that our nation is fully equipped, as you never know what will occur in times of war or peace.”. “We would prefer that they not require Tomahawks. To be honest, we would much rather see the war end. “.
During an interview with Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Zelenskyy implied that the door was still open.
He remarked, “It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no,’ but doesn’t say ‘yes,’ for today.”.
In addition, Zelenskyy stated that “we need Tomahawks” because “using Ukrainian drones alone is really challenging.”. “.”.
The Ukrainian people were undoubtedly disappointed by Trump’s recent remarks regarding Tomahawks. Trump had expressed a willingness to sell Ukraine the Tomahawks in recent days, despite Putin’s warning that doing so would put additional pressure on the U.S. S. -Russian relations.
Why Tomahawks?
The missiles have a range of roughly 995 miles (1,600 kilometers), but Trump started downplaying the likelihood that Ukraine would receive them after his call with Putin on Thursday. ).
Zelenskyy had been pursuing the Tomahawks because they would enable Ukrainian forces to target vital infrastructure, energy facilities, and military locations deep within Russian territory. The possibility of such strikes, according to Zelenskyy, would encourage Putin to give Trump’s demands for direct talks to end the war more weight.
Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told Trump during the call that equipping Kyiv with the Tomahawks “won’t change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause substantial damage to the relationship between our countries.”.
It was Trump’s fifth in-person encounter with Zelenskyy since the Republican took office again in January.
The president stated on Friday that it was “to be determined” whether Zelenskyy would participate in the next round of negotiations in Hungary, implying that a “double meeting” with the leaders of the warring nations was probably the most feasible course of action for fruitful talks.
Trump went on to say, “We want to make it comfortable for everyone, because these two leaders do not like each other.”.
Zelenskyy, however, told reporters that the hostility toward Putin “is not about feelings.”. “,”.
“They are an enemy of ours because they attacked us. Zelenskyy continued, “They have no intention of ceasing. “They are therefore an adversary. Simply hating someone else is not the issue. We certainly despise the enemy, though. Absolutely. “,”.
Trump, recalling his 2024 campaign, made it clear that he would put an immediate end to the war, but after a diplomatic blitz in August that included a White House meeting with Zelenskyy and European allies and a summit with Putin in Alaska, his peace efforts seemed to stall.
Trump left those meetings with the conviction that he was on course to set up direct negotiations between Putin and Zelenskyy. However, the Russian leader has not expressed any desire to meet with Zelenskyy, and Moscow has only increased its attacks on Ukraine.
Trump acknowledged the possibility that he was being duped by Putin when asked on Friday, but he insisted that he was sure he could deal with the Russian leader.
Trump claimed, “I came out really well, and I’ve been played by the best of them all my life.”. “I think I’m pretty good at this stuff,” he continued. “.
