U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he will host at the White House on Monday, could end the war with Russia “almost immediately” if Ukraine abandoned its efforts to reclaim Crimea and its aspirations to join NATO.
“Zelensky can end the war with Russia, if he wants, or he can keep fighting,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, arguing that Ukraine must give up on “recovering” Crimea and on entering NATO. He added, “Some things never change,” recalling that Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 without a shot being fired.
The comments come days after Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, where he pushed for a direct peace agreement but failed to secure one. Trump has said he favors a swift settlement between Kyiv and Moscow over a prolonged ceasefire.
On Monday, Trump will meet Zelensky at the White House alongside a high-profile delegation of European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Discussions are expected to focus on Russia’s territorial demands and possible security guarantees for Ukraine.
