Zelenskyy outlines peace demands before high-stakes White House meeting with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday outlined firm conditions for a real peace ahead of a high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday Zelenskyy posted to X following his call with Trump and then with European leaders after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska to try and bring about an end to the year war The positions are clear A real peace must be achieved one that will be lasting not just another pause between Russian invasions Zelenskyy wrote ZELENSKYY TO MEET WITH TRUMP IN WASHINGTON DC FOLLOWING US-RUSSIA TALKS Killings must stop as soon as workable the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky as well as against our port infrastructure All Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be circulated and the children abducted by Russia must be returned Zelenskyy wrote that thousands of Ukrainians remain in captivity and must all be circulated while adding that pressure on Russia must be maintained while the aggression and occupation continue In a follow-up post Zelenskyy warned of Russian treachery that could lead to attacks in order to gain leverage amid ongoing negotiations Based on the political and diplomatic situation around Ukraine and knowing Russia s treachery we anticipate that in the coming days the Russian army may try to increase pressure and strikes against Ukrainian positions in order to create more favorable political circumstances for talks with global actors he wrote TRUMP REVEALS STRIKING TAKEAWAYS FROM PUTIN SUMMIT IN HANNITY INTERVIEWZelenskyy is scheduled to meet with Trump in the White House on Monday as the three nations try and bring an end to the bloodshed Trump wrote on Truth Social following the Putin meeting that he felt a peace agreement rather than a ceasefire was ultimately the best way to solve the war Trump had been calling for a ceasefire ahead of his meeting with Putin It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement which would end the war and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement which often times do not hold up Trump wrote He announced if Monday's meeting with Zelenskyy also goes well a meeting will be scheduled with Putin and potentially millions of people s lives will be saved Zelenskyy s visit will mark his first return to the Oval Office since February when Trump berated him publicly for being disrespectful during a remarkable press briefing which led to the collapse of a U S -Ukraine minerals deal Though a peace agreement was not decided upon during the meeting on Friday Trump described it as a fruitful meeting with a lot of progress made Putin expressed similar sentiments adding the summit was a constructive atmosphere of mutual respect After his meeting with Putin Trump also spoke to European leaders who commented they back Trump s peace push but insist Ukraine must have ironclad safeguard guarantees to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity The European leaders did not address whether a peace deal was preferable to a ceasefire It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory International borders must not be changed by force a report signed by various leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron U K Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen No limitations should be placed on Ukraine s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine s pathway to EU and NATO During an interview with Fox News before returning to Washington Trump insisted the onus going forward might be on Zelenskyy to get it done but disclosed there would also be certain involvement from European nations Fox News Elizabeth Pritchett and The Associated Press contributed to this overview
