Trump Declares ‘Big Day’ at White House as High-Stakes Talks Hinge on Land and Security
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday foreshadowed his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and top European officials at the White House over Russia’s war in Ukraine, posting online: “Let’s see what the results will be.”
“A big day at the White House. We have never had so many European Leaders here at one time. A great honor for America!!” he wrote.
Trump is scheduled to first meet with Zelenskiy and then the leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union and NATO, days after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
“I know exactly what I’m doing, and I don’t need the advice of people who have been working on all of these conflicts for years, and were never able to do a thing to stop them,” Trump added.
In the meantime, Zelenskiy said he was ready to work to end the war with Russia, adding that Trump “has the strength” to force Russia into peace.
“Russia can only be forced into peace through strength, and President Trump has that strength,” Zelenskiy wrote on social media after meeting with the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.
Land for Peace?
The European leaders joining Zelenskiy are aiming to keep the focus during the White House talks on finding a sustainable peace and believe forging a temporary ceasefire is not off the table, AP reported, citing a European official.
The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the leaders are also looking to keep pressure on Russia to end the fighting and want to get more concrete assurances from the U.S. about security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any deal.
“We were able to win the following concession, that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection,” Trump envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, suggesting this would be in lieu of Ukraine seeking NATO membership.
Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty enshrines the principle of collective defense, in which an attack on any member is considered an attack on all.
On Russia’s side, the Russian leader wants Kyiv to give up the Donbas, the industrial region in eastern Ukraine as a condition for peace. In return, Putin said the United States and its European allies can provide Ukraine with a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense pledge.
In talks with European allies after the summit, Trump said Putin reiterated that he wants the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas, European officials said.
“There is an important discussion to be had with regard to Donetsk and what would happen there. And that discussion is going to specifically be detailed on Monday,” Witkoff said.
Zelenskyy has rejected Putin’s demands that Ukraine give up the Donbas region as a condition for peace, adding that any talks involving land must be based on current front lines.
“The contact line is the best line for talking, and the Europeans support this,” he said. “The constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible, impossible to give up territory or trade land.”
In this regard, Trump’s team stressed on Sunday that there had to be compromises on both sides of the conflict. However, the US President added that Zelenskiy “can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.”
