Trump Advises Zelenskyy to Abandon NATO and Crimea Goals Before Key White House Meeting

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US President Donald Trump informed Ukraine to abandon hopes of reclaiming annexed Crimea or joining NATO as he prepared to host President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Washington on Monday, intending to encourage Kyiv to accept a peace agreement with Russia.

Following a welcoming ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Saturday, Trump is urging Ukraine to accept a resolution to conclude Europe’s deadliest war in 80 years, which has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives and the displacement of millions.

The White House announced that Trump would first meet with Zelenskyy and subsequently with the leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union, and NATO.

The European leaders are journeying to Washington to express solidarity with Ukraine and advocate for robust security guarantees in any post-war settlement.

‘No going into NATO’

Trump’s team stressed that there had to be compromises on both sides. But Trump put the burden on Zelenskyy to end the war that Russia began with its full-scale invasion in February 2022. That, along with his comments on NATO and Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014 during Barack Obama’s presidency, suggested he would press Zelenskyy hard at Monday’s meeting.

Zelenskyy “can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Remember how it started. No recovering Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE.”

Ukraine and its allies have long feared that Trump could press an agreement favourable to Moscow. However they have taken heart from some developments, including Trump’s apparent willingness to provide post-settlement security guarantees for Ukraine.

However, Zelenskyy has largely dismissed the framework of Putin’s proposals from the Alaska meeting, which includes Ukraine relinquishing the remainder of its eastern Donetsk region, of which it currently controls a quarter.

‘Russia must end this war’

Zelenskyy is also pursuing an immediate ceasefire to facilitate deeper peace discussions. Although Trump initially supported this approach, he shifted his stance after the summit with Putin, showing preference for Russia’s favored method of negotiating a comprehensive deal whilst conflict persists.

“We all equally want to end this war swiftly and reliably,” Zelenskyy stated on the Telegram messaging app. “Russia must end this war — the war it initiated. And I hope that our shared strength with America and with our European friends will compel Russia to real peace.”

Deadly strikes on Kharkiv

Russia launched missiles and drones in overnight attacks that included strikes on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, near the Russian border, which killed seven people, including two children, officials said.

“They hit an ordinary apartment block, many flats, many families were living here, small children, children’s playground, residential compound, there are no offices here or anything else, we lived here peacefully in our homes,” said Olena Yakusheva, a local resident, as firefighters battled a blaze in the building and rescue workers dug in the rubble.

Ukrainian shelling attacks in the Russian-occupied parts of the Kherson and Donetsk regions meanwhile killed two people, Moscow-installed authorities said.