Donald Trump has said Volodymyr Zelensky could end the war with Russia “almost instantly” as the Ukrainian president and European leaders including Sir Keir Starmer prepare for major talks at the White House.
The US President noted that Mr Zelensky would have to admit that there would be “no return” of Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014, and that Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO.
Sir Keir and other European leaders will try to persuade Mr Trump not to insist on a deal that backs Vladimir Putin's aggression and to secure US security guarantees for any peacekeeping force from the so-called “coalition of the willing”.
Sir Keir will be joined by France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Finland's President Alexander Stubb.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also attend the event.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump noted that President Zelensky “could end the war with Russia almost immediately if he chose, or he could continue to fight.”
He also stated that “Ukraine will not join NATO” – keeping its neighbor outside the alliance and the mutual defense treaty was one of Russia’s main goals.
However, Sir Keir and other NATO leaders said Ukraine was on an “irreversible path” to alliance membership.
Government minister Stephen Kinnock said “Ukraine's path to NATO” could not be determined by any other country.
The health minister told Times Radio: “Any decisions about the territory of Ukraine must be made with the consent of the Ukrainian government and President Zelensky.
“Secondly, Ukraine's path to NATO and security guarantees cannot be determined by any other country, and this message must make clear that we, the British people, stand firmly with the Ukrainian people, as we have demonstrated by opening our homes and hearts to Ukrainian refugees.”
Trump's special representative Steve Witkoff suggested that measures similar to the provisions of Article 5 of the NATO Mutual Defense Treaty could be proposed by the United States without Kyiv joining the alliance.
Mr Witkoff, who took part in talks between Mr Trump and Russian President Mr Putin last week, said “this is the first time we've heard the Russians agree to this” and called it a “watershed moment”.
“We were able to get the following concession: The United States can offer Article 5-like protections, which is one of the real reasons Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” Mr. Witkoff told CNN.
Mr Zelensky said any peace deal must be long-term, “not like it was many years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East – part of Donbas – and Putin simply used that as a springboard for a new attack.”
He added: “Russia must end this war that it started. And I hope that our combined strength with America and our European partners will lead Russia to genuine peace.”
At the White House, Mr. Zelensky expects to hear calls from the U.S. president to recognize Russia's full control over Donetsk and Luhansk, two resource-rich regions of Ukraine, much of which is under the control of Vladimir Putin's forces.
In response to these demands, the Russian president will reportedly withdraw his troops from other parts of Ukraine and accept NATO-like guarantees to prevent further incursions.
Ahead of the Oval Office meeting, allies are likely to recall Mr. Zelensky's previous visit to Mr. Trump at the White House.
A public spat in February, in which Vice President J.D. Vance accused Mr. Zelensky of not being grateful enough to the United States, led to a temporary suspension of American aid to Ukraine.
Mr Trump will host Mr Zelensky again in the Oval Office before a separate meeting with European leaders.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
