Trump Warns Ukrainian President About Russia’s War
In a bold statement, Donald Trump has warned the Ukrainian president that he has the power to end Russia’s war “if he wants to”. However, Trump made it clear that there would be “no going into Nato by Ukraine” as part of any peace deal.
As the White House prepared to host Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump also emphasized that there would be “no getting back” of the Crimean peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, preceding its full-scale invasion eight years later.
Trump’s recent summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska led to the US president dropping a ceasefire demand and instead calling for a permanent peace deal.
A US envoy revealed that Putin had agreed to a potential security pact for Ukraine that resembles Nato, despite the Russian president’s historical opposition to Ukraine joining the military alliance.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump posted: “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.”
Before Trump’s return to power, Nato countries had agreed on Kyiv’s “irreversible path” to alliance membership, a decision that Trump now seems to be challenging.
European leaders, including Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, will gather in Washington for talks on Ukraine’s future, underscoring the high stakes of the ongoing crisis.
Trump’s anticipation of hosting multiple European leaders at the White House in such a critical moment is unprecedented, raising concerns about potential pressure on Zelensky to agree to terms.
Despite speculation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the idea that Trump would bully Zelensky into accepting a peace deal, calling it a “stupid media narrative”.
As the situation unfolds, Russian forces continue to advance in Ukraine, occupying nearly a fifth of the country since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
