Maps show the territories key to any Ukraine-Russia deal
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Boston Globe
3 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Ukraine tries to understand why Trump suddenly abandoned idea of cease-fire
Trump called on social media for a direct peace agreement without securing a cease-fire first, claiming that Zelenskyy and European leaders had agreed on the point. His statement was a stark shift from the 'principles' agreed upon earlier in the week by Trump, Zelenskyy and his European allies, which called for refusing to discuss peace terms until a cease-fire was in place. Advertisement Russia has long pushed for a direct peace deal that would address a broad range of issues and impose onerous demands on Ukraine, including territorial concessions. Avoiding a cease-fire would allow Russia to continue pressing its advantage on the battlefield in the meantime. Advertisement An official briefed on the call between Trump and Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian leader's trip to Washington would aim to seek clarity from Trump. Kyiv does not understand why the American president suddenly dropped the demand that a cease-fire precede negotiations. In a statement, Zelenskyy seemed to tread carefully, trying not to openly contradict Trump. 'We need to achieve a real peace that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions,' Zelenskyy said. But he added that 'the killings must stop as soon as possible, and the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the air, as well as against our port infrastructure,' suggesting that he was still prioritizing a cease-fire. In statements of their own, European leaders made no mention of having agreed to abandon their demand for a cease-fire. At the same time, the fact that the statements did not include a demand for a cease-fire, as in previous remarks, suggests at the very least an attempt not to antagonize Trump. Trump's move to aim for a direct peace deal could bring to failure a week of frantic diplomacy in which Kyiv, with European support, had lobbied the U.S. administration to insist that a cease-fire should come first and that Ukraine should not be undercut in the negotiations. Trump's social media post caused a feeling of whiplash among some Ukrainians, who quickly reversed their early assessments of the Alaska summit. Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the foreign affairs committee in the Ukrainian parliament, had initially expressed some relief, saying that 'the situation could have been worse' if Trump and Putin had struck a deal behind Ukraine's back. Advertisement He said that a scenario in which 'Trump and Putin started together to pressure Ukraine into surrender' could not have been ruled out given Trump's history of deference to Putin. But after Trump's post on Truth Social, Merezhko changed his view. 'In fact, Putin and Trump are starting to force us into surrender,' he said. Trump also proposed security guarantees for Ukraine inspired by the collective defense agreement between NATO member countries, which states that any attack on a member is an attack against all, according to Giorgia Meloni, Italy's prime minister. Under such guarantees, Ukraine's NATO allies would be 'ready to take action' if Russia attacked again. But Merezhko and other Ukrainian allies said such a formulation was too vague. 'Which countries will agree to consider an attack against Ukraine as an attack against themselves?' Merezhko asked. 'I'd like to believe that we will find such countries, but I'm not sure.' Trump, in an interview with Fox News after the meeting with Putin, also addressed the idea of territorial swaps, saying they were among the points 'that we largely have agreed on.' Trump had said several times over the past week that territorial concessions would be part of a peace agreement, drawing pushback from Zelenskyy. Zelensky, however, has not entirely ruled out possible land swaps, telling reporters this past week that this is 'a very complex issue that cannot be separated from security guarantees for Ukraine.' Merezhko, who like many Ukrainian officials was left on tenterhooks by the Alaska meeting, watched the post-meeting news conference live from Kyiv at around 2 a.m. local time. As both Trump and Putin offered only vague statements, Merezhko said it had become clear that no concrete deal had been reached. Advertisement He noted that Putin had again said that any end to the fighting must address the 'root causes' of the war, which is Kremlin parlance for a range of issues that include the existence of Ukraine as a fully independent and sovereign nation aligned with the West. 'I think it's a failure because Putin was again talking about security concerns and used his usual rhetoric,' Merezhko said as the press conference came to an end. 'I don't see any changes.' In Kyiv, some emerged Saturday morning from a sleepless night following the news with the sense that the war was likely to continue unabated. After the Alaska summit wrapped up, the Ukrainian air force said Russia had continued its assault on Ukraine, launching 85 drones and one ballistic missile overnight. These figures could not be independently verified. Tetiana Chamlai, a 66-year-old retiree in Kyiv, said the situation with the war would change only if Ukraine was given more military support, to push Russian forces back enough to force Moscow to the negotiating table. 'That's the only way everything will stop,' she said. 'I personally do not see any other way out.' But Vice President JD Vance made clear this past week that the United States was 'done' funding Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion. The Trump administration, however, is fine with Ukraine buying American weapons from U.S. companies, and Zelenskyy announced this past week that Kyiv had secured $1.5 billion in European funding to purchase U.S. arms. This article originally appeared in
CNBC
4 minutes ago
- CNBC
Zelensky to meet with Trump after Putin talks end without a ceasefire
U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin "went very well" after the pair met for hours one day prior. The two leaders did not reach a ceasefire agreement following the talks, which Trump had repeatedly emphasized in the lead-up to their meeting. Instead, Trump wrote on social media: "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's comments put him at odds with officials in Ukraine and European leaders who are urgently seeking a lasting ceasefire in the ongoing war. A joint statement from European leaders said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the summit, should be present during any future talks, and that "it will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory," according to NBC News. Ukraine's allies in Europe also expressed concern that Trump was moving closer to Putin's position following his meeting. The lack of an immediate ceasefire allows Russia to continue its fighting in Ukraine without the threat of punishment from the United States or its allies. Zelenskyy said he plans to meet with Trump to "discuss all [of] the details regarding ending the killings and the war," according to a post on Telegram. Trump, who said he spoke with Zelenskyy and other European leaders overnight, is poised to meet with the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office on Monday afternoon, he said in a Truth Social post. "If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin," Trump also said. Putin said in a statement on Saturday that his meeting with Trump was "very frank, meaningful and, in my opinion, this brings us closer to the necessary decisions." Despite the lack of a resolution, Russian officials signaled victory following the talks. "A new European and international security architecture is on the agenda and everyone must accept it," Andrei Klishas, a Russian senator, said, according to the Washington Post.
New York Post
33 minutes ago
- New York Post
Zelensky warns Putin will step up attacks on Ukraine, as strongman tries to gain leverage in peace talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia could intensify its aerial attacks on Kyiv in the wake of high-stakes talks between President Trump and Vladimir Putin — as the strongman seeks to gain leverage at the negotiating table. The warning comes a day after the bilateral summit in Alaska, which failed to yield a cease-fire, and with news of Zelensky's planned trip to Washington, DC on Monday to meet with Trump. 6 Zelensky is getting ready to fly to Washington to meet with President Trump Monday. Ray Tang/Shutterstock Advertisement '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,' Zelensky wrote on X Saturday. This comes as the Ukrainian military said that Russian troops have occupied two additional villages Saturday in the eastern region of Donetsk. 6 Zelensky warned that Russia may intensify its attacks in the coming days. REUTERS Advertisement Donetsk, one of the partly Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, has become a key battleground in recent months. Putin reportedly told US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff last week that he'd be willing to end his nearly three-year-old invasion of Ukraine in exchange for Donetsk and doubled down this week, saying he wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the region it controls as part of any cease-fire deal. 6 Fighting in the Donetsk region has intensified in recent months. Getty Images Zelensky said fighting in Donetsk remains 'extremely difficult' but that his forces have made some successful counterattacks. Advertisement 'We are defending our positions along the entire front line, and for the second day in a row, we have achieved successes in some extremely difficult areas in the Donetsk region,' Zelensky wrote. 6 Troops from both sides have been exchanging fire in the Donetsk region. Getty Images Hours before the Alaska summit, Russian air strikes killed at least six Ukrainian civilians and injured at least 17, including a child, local authorities reported — as Moscow launched close to 100 drones and two missiles. 'On the day of negotiations, the Russians are killing as well. And that speaks volumes,' Zelensky posted on Friday. Advertisement 'The war continues…It continues exactly because there is no order, nor any signals that Moscow is preparing to end this war.' 6 Friday's Alaska summit between Trump and Putin failed to reach a cease-fire deal. Getty Images Zelensky announced his scheduled White House visit after he spoke on the phone for nearly two hours with Trump, who was on board Air Force One while heading back from Anchorage.
