Trump pivots on Ukraine war after Putin meet, seeks direct peace not ceasefire

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that Ukraine should strike a deal to end the war with Russia, stressing that “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not,” after his much-watched summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a major shift, Trump said he and Putin had agreed the best way forward was “to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up”, as per a report by news agency Reuters. The two leaders met for nearly three hours in Alaska on Friday in the first US-Russia summit since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

ZELENSKYY CAUTIOUS, DEMANDS GUARANTEES

After speaking with Trump following the summit, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready for “constructive cooperation” and supported the idea of a trilateral meeting. He also set out Kyiv’s red lines in a lengthy post on X.

“A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions,” Zelenskyy wrote. He said “killings must stop as soon as possible,” prisoners and abducted children must be returned, and security guarantees must involve both Europe and the U.S.

He underlined: “No issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine.” Zelenskyy also warned that sanctions should be strengthened if Russia evades an “honest end to the war.”

PUTIN SIGNALS NO SHIFT

Putin, speaking briefly after the summit, made no mention of Zelenskyy or a three-way meeting. He said Russia was ready to work on ensuring Ukraine’s security but repeated that progress would depend on Kyiv and European capitals acting “constructively.”

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