President Trump placed the onus on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end the war with Russia by giving up Crimea, which has been annexed by Moscow, and hopes of joining NATO — both key demands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago without a shot being fired) and no going into NATO by Ukraine. Some things never change,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.
The post comes hours before Mr. Trump hosts a summit Monday afternoon at the White House with several European leaders, including Mr. Zelenskyy. Also traveling to Washington are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Mr. Trump’s sitdown with the leaders comes just days after his meeting with Mr. Putin in Alaska, which failed to produce a peace agreement to end the war. Since the meeting, Mr. Trump has shifted to establishing a full-fledged peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, complaining that ceasefire agreements are often unsustainable.
Mr. Trump posted Saturday on Truth Social that if talks with Mr. Zelenskyy don’t produce results, he would facilitate further negotiations with Mr. Putin in hopes of reaching a permanent end to the war.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted a ceasefire is not off the table during a “Meet the Press” interview on Sunday.
SEE ALSO: Trump to meet Zelenskyy with sweetener for peace deal but land swaps still a major sticking point
Mr. Zelenskyy is hoping to use Monday’s meeting to clarify an ironclad security guarantee from Europe and the United States, similar to Article 5 of NATO, and persuade Mr. Trump that a ceasefire must happen before real peace talks can begin. The idea has been floated as something Mr. Putin would be amenable to as part of a ceasefire or peace plan.
Any security guarantee would be a treaty-level obligation, meaning it would require ratification by the Senate.
Mr. Zelenskyy posted late Sunday on X that he was “confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump.”
“Russia must end this war, which it itself started,” he posted.
The Ukrainian president’s visit will be his first to the White House since a February meeting devolved into a shouting match between Mr. Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and himself.
The moment, which played out live on television, stunned Ukrainian allies and marked a sharp change in the United States’ years-long support for an ally embroiled in a bloody war that began with Russia’s invasion.
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