KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated he’ll meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday after a Russia-U.S. summit ended with out an settlement to cease the preventing in Ukraine after 3 1/2 years.
In a reversal solely few hours after assembly Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump stated an total peace settlement, and never a ceasefire, was one of the simplest ways to finish the struggle. That assertion echoed Putin’s view that Russia shouldn’t be taken with a brief truce, and as an alternative is in search of a long-term settlement that takes Moscow’s pursuits into consideration.
Trump and Ukraine’s European allies had been calling for a ceasefire forward of any negotiations.
Zelenskyy, who was not invited to Alaska for the summit, stated he held a “long and substantive” dialog with Trump early Saturday. He thanked him for an invite to satisfy in individual in Washington on Monday and stated they might “discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.”
It will likely be Zelenskyy’s first go to to the U.S. since Trump berated him publicly for being “disrespectful” throughout a unprecedented Oval Workplace assembly on Feb. 28.
Trump, who additionally held calls with European leaders Saturday, confirmed the White Home assembly and stated that “if all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin.”
Trump rolled out the purple carpet on Friday for Putin, who was within the U.S. for the primary time in a decade and because the begin of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However he gave little concrete element afterward of what was mentioned. On Saturday, he posted on social media that it “went very well.”
Trump had warned forward of the summit of “very severe consequences” for Russia if Putin doesn’t agree to finish the struggle.
Zelenskyy seeks European involvement
Zelenskyy reiterated the significance of involving European leaders, who additionally weren’t on the summit.
“It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America,” he stated. “We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.”
He didn’t elaborate, however Zelenskyy beforehand has stated that European companions placed on maintain a proposal to determine a overseas troop presence in Ukraine to discourage future Russian aggression as a result of it lacked an American backstop.
Zelenskyy stated he spoke to Trump one-on-one after which in a name with different European leaders. In whole, the conversations lasted over 90 minutes.
Trump places onus on Zelenskyy and Europe
Trump stated in Alaska that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” after Putin claimed the 2 leaders had hammered out an “understanding” on Ukraine and warned Europe to not “torpedo the nascent progress.”
Throughout an interview with Fox Information Channel earlier than returning to Washington, Trump insisted the onus going ahead is perhaps on Zelenskyy “to get it done,” however stated there would even be some involvement from European nations.
In a press release after talking to Trump, main European leaders stated they had been able to work with Trump and Zelenskyy towards “a trilateral summit with European support.”
The assertion by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the European Union’s two high officers stated that “Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees” and welcomed U.S. readiness to supply them.
“It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory,” they stated. “International borders must not be changed by force.” They didn’t point out a ceasefire, which that they had hoped for forward of the summit.
EU overseas coverage chief Kaja Kallas stated “the harsh reality is that Russia has no intention of ending this war anytime soon,” noting that Moscow’s forces launched new assaults on Ukraine even because the delegations met.
“Putin continues to drag out negotiations and hopes he gets away with it. He left Anchorage without making any commitments to end the killing,” she stated.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated the summit confirmed that “while the U.S. and its allies are looking for ways to peace, Putin is still only interested in making the greatest possible territorial gains and restoring the Soviet empire.”
Ukrainian and Russian forces are preventing alongside a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) entrance line. Since spring, Russian troops have accelerated their beneficial properties, capturing probably the most territory because the opening phases of the struggle.
“Vladimir Putin came to the Alaska summit with the principal goal of stalling any pressure on Russia to end the war,” stated Neil Melvin, director of worldwide safety on the London-based Royal United Providers Institute. “He will consider the summit outcome as mission accomplished.”
Questions on a Trump, Zelenskyy and Putin assembly
Zelenskyy voiced assist for Trump’s proposal for a trilateral assembly with the U.S. and Russia. He stated that “key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this.”
However Putin’s overseas affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, stated on Russian state tv Saturday {that a} potential assembly of Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy has not been raised in U.S.-Russia discussions. “The topic has not been touched upon yet,” he stated, in response to Russian state information company RIA Novosti.
Zelenskyy wrote on X that he advised Trump that “sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war.“
Russian officials and media struck a largely positive tone, with some describing Friday’s meeting as a symbolic end to Putin’s isolation in the West.
Former President Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, praised the summit as a breakthrough in restoring high-level dialogue between Moscow and Washington, describing the talks as “calm, without ultimatums and threats.”
Russian assaults on Ukraine continued in a single day, utilizing one ballistic missile and 85 Shahed drones, 61 of which had been shot down, Ukraine’s air drive stated. Entrance-line areas of Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Chernihiv had been attacked.
Russia’s Protection Ministry stated its air defenses shot down 29 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Sea of Azov in a single day.
Morton reported from London. Geir Moulson in Berlin and Emma Burrows in London ontributed.
