Trump meets Zelenskyy, eyes trilateral summit with Putin to end war
'We're going to have a meeting. I think if everything works out well today we'll have a trilat and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that,' said Trump, sitting alongside Zelenskyy at the White House.
Zelenskyy thanked Trump for hosting the talks, which will be expanded to include European leaders later in the day. 'Thank you for [the] invitation and thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts to stop killings and stop this war,' he said.
Earlier, European leaders arrived at the White House before high-stakes talks with Trump and Zelenskyy aimed at bridging big differences over a peace deal with Russia.
The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Finland, as well as Nato chief Mark Rutte and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, are demonstrating support for Ukraine as Trump presses Kyiv to make concessions.
Air raid sirens sounded over Kyiv on Monday (local time), AFP journalists heard, at the same time as the Europeans were arriving. Russian strikes overnight killed at least seven people.
Following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week, Trump said Ukraine must give up Crimea and abandon its Nato ambitions – two of Moscow's top demands.
Trump will later meet separately with the European leaders.
Trump, 79, said it was a 'big day at the White House' but appeared to be in a combative mood, churning out a string of social media posts.
'I know exactly what I'm doing,' the Republican said on his Truth Social network. '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.'
'Peace through strength'
The European leaders held a preparatory meeting with the Ukrainian President in Washington on Monday morning, while Zelenskyy also met Trump's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg.
Zelenskyy described the talks at the White House as 'very serious' – and sought to flatter Trump before the meeting, by echoing his trademark 'peace through strength' language.
'President Trump has that strength. We have to do everything right to make peace happen,' he said.
Zelenskyy later called on social media for a 'reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe' and said they would discuss Western security guarantees for Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters on the plane to Washington: 'We've got to make sure there is peace, that it is lasting peace, and that it is fair and that it is just.'
Reports had said Putin would be open to Western security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of any peace deal – but had ruled out Kyiv's long-term ambition to join Nato.
Russia kept up its attacks on Ukraine before the new talks, killing at least seven people, including two children, in dozens of drone and ballistic missile strikes overnight, Ukrainian officials said.
The Trump-Putin summit in Alaska failed to produce a ceasefire in the nearly three-and-a-half-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
After, Trump dropped his previous insistence on a ceasefire in favour of seeking a complete peace deal, meaning negotiations could proceed while the war goes on. He also alarmed Kyiv and European capitals by repeating a number of Russian talking points.
Trump said Sunday that Zelenskyy could end the war 'almost immediately, if he wants to' but that, for Ukraine, there was 'no getting back' Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and 'NO GOING INTO NATO'.
'Some concessions'
US media reports have said Putin would consider freezing much of the current frontline in Ukraine if Kyiv agreed to completely give up the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Moscow had made 'some concessions' on territory.
But such a move is widely viewed as unacceptable for Ukraine, which still holds much of the resource-rich area.
Yevgeniy Sosnovsky, a photographer from the captured Ukrainian city of Mariupol, said he 'cannot understand' how Ukraine would cede land already under its control.
'Ukraine cannot give up any territories, not even those occupied by Russia,' he told AFP.
Kyiv and European leaders have warned against making political and territorial concessions to Russia, whose assault on Ukraine has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
– Agence France-Presse
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
23 minutes ago
- Otago Daily Times
Putin plays with ‘peace'
The bizarre President Trump pantomime on Ukraine persists. Although it may be presumptuous to predict the failure of "peace" efforts, Russian President Vladimir Putin holds the prime position. He has been the puppet master pulling the strings. President Putin has conceded nothing so far. Instead, he has gained international stature and a domestic boost, thanks to the red-carpet treatment from the United States leader on US soil. Not bad for an alleged war criminal facing arrest in countries that accept the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction. Mr Putin has secured Mr Trump's support to recognise Russia's control over Crimea and large parts of eastern Ukraine. U.S. President Trump And Russian President Putin. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES According to Mr Trump, Mr Putin is willing to accept one major concession: international security guarantees for Ukraine. Mr Putin, however, has remained silent. Why should he concede anything when Mr Trump does his bidding? It is highly doubtful he would reverse earlier bottom lines and agree to security guarantees that are effective, long-term, and trustworthy, even if talks progressed that far. Perhaps Mr Putin would settle for the territorial gains discussed with Mr Trump, including a crucial strategic area of the Donbas still held by Ukraine. Meanwhile, he has not even had to accept a ceasefire, a condition Mr Trump earlier insisted upon. His tactic is to sever Mr Trump's support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He and Mr Trump have reached an understanding that he knows is virtually impossible for Mr Zelenskyy to accept, both for constitutional reasons and due to Ukrainian public opinion. Ceding territory through force is also entirely illegal under the United Nations Charter. In the end, direct talks, if they ever properly start, will go nowhere. Mr Zelenskyy may receive the blame in Mr Trump's mind, and crucial US intelligence, military, and other support could be cut off. Meanwhile, Russia continues grinding down Ukraine and grinding out more territory. Mr Trump's earlier threats of secondary sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's oil sales to China and India have come to nothing. Other stricter direct sanctions have also not been applied. When agreements are not reached, possible international security guarantees lose their relevance. It was little wonder that Europe's premier leaders rushed to Washington DC to support Mr Zelenskyy. Mr Putin's manipulation of Mr Trump and lack of commitments are plain to them. Their tactic is to show willingness by pushing for a ceasefire, something Mr Trump, parroting Mr Putin, no longer deems necessary. While their obsequiousness towards Mr Trump is sickening, what alternative do they have when facing an erratic, narcissistic bully who leads the world's most powerful nation? Mr Zelenskyy has learned the hard way the necessity of grovelling. The lessons of history are clear. Hitler's Germany absorbed Austria and occupied the Sudetenland in 1938, and the world complied. Appeasement failed, and Poland was next. Mr Putin has not even had to commit to meeting Mr Zelenskyy. He has persuaded Mr Trump, shifting the pressure on to Ukraine and its president. Hopefully, Mr Putin has overreached. Part of us might wish the West, including the US, would support Ukraine with all guns blazing: smash Russia inside Ukraine with shock and awe, and apply full force in every other way short of invasion. After all, Mr Putin, like Mr Trump, respects only power. Of course, that cannot happen. The stakes are sky-high, and the consequences — intended or otherwise — are terrifying. Becoming deeply entangled in other people's wars almost always ends badly. Mr Putin's earlier rumblings about nuclear retaliation remain a warning. Even if he is highly unlikely to go that far, the consequences would be so catastrophic that even a slim chance is a gamble not worth taking. Realistically, Crimea, occupied since 2014, is lost to Ukraine. In the end, other territory may also have to be forfeited. Yet Ukraine is not ready to capitulate, and Mr Putin has invested too much to pull back. Mr Trump is right about one thing: Ukraine and most of the world want the killing to stop. Whether Mr Putin does is another matter entirely.
Otago Daily Times
7 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Dressing for diplomacy
When Ukrainian designer Viktor Anisimov showed Volodymyr Zelenskyy a new black suit last Friday, it included a small detail. A back vent on the back inched it closer to a civilian suit, compared to the military outfits the president has favoured throughout the war in Ukraine. "These are our hopes for peace," Anisimov told Reuters about the tweak. "We think that if we add something subtle to this image, something from civilian clothing to his uniform, then it will be like a lucky charm.' On Monday, the lucky charm worked to set a warm tone for a White House meeting with United States President Donald Trump. Moments after Zelenskyy arrived, Trump complimented him on the suit. Zelenskyy's dark military-style outfit was one of the things Trump objected to during a disastrous Oval Office meeting in February, when the Ukrainian leader was given a public scolding. Anisimov, 61, from the northern region of Chernihiv, said he was watching videos of that interaction and felt the jabs. He perceived them as aimed at the Ukrainian citizens, not just at Zelenskyy. "There was a slight sense of despair because they do not understand how we breathe, how we live," he said. A reporter at the White House who asked Zelenskyy in February why he was not wearing a suit also praised the Ukrainian on his attire on Monday, saying "You look fabulous in that suit". Anisimov said he was not watching for criticism or compliments this time but wanted to ensure the Ukrainian president looked dignified. "They praise, they scold. If we win - and we will win - then whose suit it was doesn't matter," he said. Zelenskyy has worn military-type outfits, often with collar-less shirts and heavy boots, to show solidarity with Ukraine's troops since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. "In this moment, internally, we all changed, everything changed, life changed. It was a point of no-return," Zelenskyy said in an interview with a Ukrainian media outlet a year later. Urgent request The black suit worn on Monday was originally presented, along with an identical navy option, as an outfit idea for Ukrainian Independence Day on August 24. While the team was going back and forth on the back vent, Anisimov took it back for alterations on Friday. Before he even got to making the adjustments on sleeves, the phone rang with an urgent request from the administration on Saturday - the president needed the suit for his US trip. It was not the first time that Anisimov had been charged with changing the president's style. In the early 2000s, then-comedian Zelenskyy and his team 'Kvartal 95' sought to establish their identities on the Ukrainian screens after getting their initial break in comedy competitions. The process was gradual: black T-shirts gave way to white shirts with ties and then morphed into suits worn by the team during the shows. Anisimov said he had not heard from Zelenskyy for over five years when a mutual acquaintance from the previous make-over contacted him in January. They floated the idea of creating a capsule collection for the president. Anisimov said he used the military uniform as an inspiration point to ensure versatility for all items in the capsule. "I can't say that we sewed (a suit) specifically for the NATO summit or for an important conversation with Trump and European leaders. The suit is just a suit," Anisimov said, adding that Zelenskyy has about five similar-looking jackets with small tweaks. Since then, the Ukrainian president wore Anisimov's designs to the funeral of Pope Francis in April and a NATO Summit in June, both occasions that helped to bring the US and Ukraine closer together after the public rift in February.
Otago Daily Times
8 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Russia orders state-backed app for devices
Russia wants to promote the popularity of MAX, the new state-controlled messaging app. Photo: Reuters (file) A Russian state-backed messenger application cast as a rival to WhatsApp, which critics say could be used for surveillance purposes, must be pre-installed on all mobile phones and tablets from next month, the Russian government has ordered. The decision to promote the popularity of MAX, the new state-controlled messaging app, comes after Russia restricted some calls on WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, and on Telegram, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of failing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases. The government, which is seeking greater control over the internet space, said in a statement on Thursday that MAX, which will be integrated with government services, would be on the list of mandatory pre-installed apps on all "gadgets", including mobile phones and tablets, sold in Russia from September 1. It will also be mandatory from the same date for Russia's domestic app store, RuStore, currently pre-installed on all Android devices, to be pre-installed on all Apple devices, the government said. An online Russian-language TV app called LIME HD TV, which allows people to watch Russian state TV channels for free, will be pre-installed on all smart TVs sold in Russia from January 1 next year, the government added.
