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U.S. President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday. During their discussion, Trump urged Zelensky to accept Russia’s proposed terms to end the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, warning that President Vladimir Putin threatened to “destroy” Ukraine if demands were not met, according to the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Trump pressed Zelensky to relinquish control of the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, mirroring some points Putin had mentioned in their call the previous day. Fortunately, Ukraine was able to sway Trump toward supporting a freeze of the current front lines. After the meeting, Trump stated that both sides should halt hostilities at the existing battle lines, which Zelensky acknowledged as an important stance.
The White House has not immediately responded to a Reuters inquiry regarding the FT’s report.
Zelensky arrived at the White House seeking weapons to continue fighting in Ukraine, but he encountered an American president seemingly more focused on negotiating a peace settlement.
In a call on Thursday, Putin offered limited territorial concessions in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in exchange for larger territories in Donbas currently controlled by Ukraine. This request was less extensive than Putin’s initial 2024 demand for Kyiv to surrender all of Donbas along with Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—a total area of nearly 20,000 square kilometers.
Zelensky’s spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment on whether Trump pressured Zelensky to accept Russia’s peace terms outside of regular business hours.
Additionally, Trump and Putin agreed on Thursday to hold a second summit regarding Ukraine within the next two weeks, tentatively scheduled in Budapest. This follows a failed attempt at diplomacy during their August 15 meeting in Alaska.
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