Zelenskiy braces for perilous Trump talks in Washington on Monday
The U.S. president invited Zelenskiy to Washington after rolling out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin, Kyiv's arch foe, at a summit in Alaska that shocked many in Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands have died since Russia's 2022 invasion.
The Alaska talks failed to produce the ceasefire that Trump sought, and the U.S. leader said on Saturday that he now wanted a rapid, full-fledged peace deal and that Kyiv should accept because "Russia is a very big power, and they're not".
The blunt rhetoric throws the onus squarely back on Zelenskiy, putting him in a perilous position as he returns to Washington for the first time since his talks with Trump in the Oval Office in February descended into acrimony.
The U.S. president upbraided him in front of world media at the time, saying Zelenskiy did not "hold the cards" in negotiations and that what he described as Kyiv's intransigence risked triggering World War Three.
Trump's pursuit of a quick deal defies intense diplomacy by the European allies and Ukraine to convince him that a ceasefire should come first and not - as sought by the Kremlin - once a settlement is agreed.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that European leaders had also been invited to Monday's meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy, though it was unclear who would actually attend.
Trump briefed Zelenskiy on his talks with Putin during a call on Saturday that lasted more than an hour and a half, the Ukrainian leader said. They were joined after an hour by European and NATO officials, he added.
"The impression is he wants a fast deal at any price," a source familiar with the conversation said.
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