In a meeting at the White House on Friday, US President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Russia’s terms for ending the war, warning that Vladimir Putin had threatened Ukraine with “destruction” if he refused to comply. He called on Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are.
According to the Financial Times, citing sources, the meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents turned into “shouting” on several occasions, with Trump “continually cursing”. It was the fifth face-to-face meeting between Trump and Zelensky since the Republican regained the presidency in January.
A European official familiar with the meeting said Trump told Zelensky that Putin had described the conflict as “a special operation, not even a war,” and warned the Ukrainian leader he had to make a deal or risk destruction, the report said. The official said Trump told Zelensky he was losing the war and warned him, “If he (Putin) wants it, he will destroy you.
During the meeting, the US president allegedly threw away maps of the Ukrainian battlefield. The official quoted by the newspaper said that Trump expressed that he was “sick” of repeatedly seeing a map of the Ukrainian front line, stating “this red line, I don’t even know where it is. I’ve never been there.”
The official said Trump also noted that Russia’s economy was “doing great,” a sharp contrast to his recent public statements in which he urged Putin to negotiate because his “economy is reportedly going to collapse.”
“Let both claim victory, let history decide”
Trump took to Truth Social and said, “Enough blood has been spilled, with property borders defined by war and guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim victory, let history decide! This is a war that would never have started if I were president.”
Speaking to reporters, he said, according to the AP, “You follow the battle line, wherever it is – otherwise it’s too complicated. You stop at the battle line, and both sides should go home, go to their families, stop the killing, and that should be it.”
“78% of the land is already occupied by Russia”
When asked if he told Zelensky that Ukraine must give up the entire Donbas region to Russia, Trump denied this. “Let it be cut as it is. It is right now. I think 78% of the land has already been taken by Russia,” he told Reuters. He added, “You leave it as it is right now. They can…negotiate something later.”
Meanwhile, Trump and Putin have decided to schedule a second summit on the Ukraine conflict within the next two weeks, likely in Budapest, after their Aug. 15 meeting in Alaska failed to produce any significant progress.
