Five things we learned from Trump's meeting with Zelensky ahead of Putin summit
The call on Wednesday served as the last opportunity – that we know of – for Zelensky and several European heads to speak directly to Trump ahead of his one-on-one with Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Zelensky was not invited to join his American and Russian counterparts for the high-profile meeting in Anchorage because it is being held 'at the request of president Putin', White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.
Here are five takeaways from Trump's call with Zelensky and leaders including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO chief Mark Rutte:
During a press conference after the call, Zelensky said that 'there should be a ceasefire first, then security guarantees – real security guarantees'.
He added that Trump 'expressed his support for that'.
The Ukrainian president said that 'sanctions should be strengthened if Russia will not go for a ceasefire in Alaska'.
Merz echoed Zelensky's sentiment, saying that a ceasefire must be first in any agreement and that Ukraine needs 'robust guarantees'.
A day before the virtual meeting, Trump again pushed for Zelensky to agree to give up territory to Russia as part of a peace deal.
Zelensky after the call reaffirmed that he will not surrender the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. He said he has 'no right' to cede his country's land and that 'my position is not changing'.
'Any issue which deals with the territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot be discussed just like that, without looking at our constitution and the will of our people,' Zelensky said.
'As to our principles, as to our territorial integrity, in the end, will be decided on the level of leaders. Without Ukraine (at the table), it's impossible to achieve.'
Zelensky insisted that Putin 'definitely does not want peace' and that 'he wants to occupy Ukraine'.
'Putin cannot fool anyone,' said the Ukrainian president.
Zelensky thinks that Putin is 'bluffing' about the impact that increased sanctions have had on Russia.
'Sanctions are hitting Russia's war economy hard,' he said.
Starmer said that a peace deal must have security guarantees for Ukraine.
'The Prime Minister was clear that our support for Ukraine is unwavering,' said a Downing Street spokesperson.
'International borders must not be changed by force and Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to defend its territorial integrity as part of any deal.'
European leaders 'thanked President Trump for his efforts in bringing Putin to the table in pursuit of a ceasefire to end to the ongoing bloodshed', the Downing Street readout continued.
European leaders who joined the call shared positive feedback around it and said that the next move lies with Putin. More Trending
'We are united in pushing to end to this terrible war against (Ukraine) and achieve just and lasting peace,' wrote NATO chief Rutte on social media.
'Appreciate (Trump's) leadership and close coordination with Allies. The ball is now in Putin's court.'
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on social media that the meeting was 'very good' that 'we will remain in close coordination – nobody wants peace more than us, a just and lasting peace'.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Home of 'Alligator Alcatraz' says human rights in the UK have worsened
MORE: I used to be a Thomas Skinner fan – now he scares me
MORE: Can you spot what David Lammy is doing wrong in this picture?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Lithuania wants to teach kids as young as eight to fight Putin with drones
The first three Lithuanian drone training centres, where kids as young as eight will learn to operate the devices, will open by September with the remainder opening over the next three years Lithuania is planning to teach kids as young as eight how to fly drones to combat the threat of a looming Russian invasion. Officials plan to open nine drone training centres to teach more than 22,000 of its citizens how to build and fly drones. Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said the plan would strengthen the country's defences in the event of further Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. In recent years, drone warfare has become a standout method of l aunching offensives. It is one of the reasons Ukraine has been able to fight off a former superpower that, on paper, should have been able to seize Kyiv in a matter of days if not weeks. In a statement, Šakalienė explained: 'We plan that 15,500 adults and 7,000 children will acquire drone control skills by 2028." The program will be adapted to each of the age groups. The younger groups will be taught how to build and pilot simple drones, while high school students will learn the full design and manufacturing process. They will also learn to fly first-person view (FPV) drones, the type used on the Ukrainian front line, government officials say. The plan is expected to cost just under $4million as the country is expected to purchase advanced FPVs and roll out a mobile app which will guide students. By the end of September, there will be three drone training centres up and running. Over the next three years, another six facilities will be rolled out. Both Ukraine and Russia have utilised the technology during the conflict, with Ukraine using the drones to wage war on Russian soil, allowing them to strike deep inside Vladimir Putin's territory. Meanwhile, Moscow has used them to pummel Ukraine's military and civilian infrastructure in the war that has raged for three years. The development in Lithuania comes after Russia rolled out what it called the "world's biggest drone factory", where teens as young as 14 were brought in to construct the killer drones on an assembly line. Lithuania is just one of several Baltic nations becoming increasingly concerned about the threat of Russian aggression since the outbreak of the conflict. Many other NATO member states have been preparing for the worst, like Finland and Sweden where residents have been given guidance on what to do should it happen. The Kremlin threatened both nations, which joined the treaty alliance in 2022, that they could become the target of his world-ending nuclear weapons. In April, tensions heightened even further when the Kremlin built military bases around 100 miles from the border with Finland.
Wales Online
34 minutes ago
- Wales Online
Starmer to welcome Zelensky to No 10 ahead of Trump meeting with Putin
Starmer to welcome Zelensky to No 10 ahead of Trump meeting with Putin The Prime Minister's meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky comes after he said Britain stands ready to "increase pressure" on Russia if necessary. Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Image: Toby Melville -) Sir Keir Starmer will be joined by the Ukrainian president at Downing Street on Thursday morning, as Europe braces for the outcome of Donald Trump's face-to-face discussions with his Russian counterpart later this week. The Prime Minister's meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky comes after he said Britain stands ready to "increase pressure" on Russia if necessary. Meanwhile, Mr Trump threatened Russia with "severe consequences" if a ceasefire was rejected by its leader. During a call with the US president and European allies on Wednesday, Sir Keir praised Mr Trump for his work to bring forward a "viable" chance of an end to the war. But concerns have been raised over Mr Zelensky's exclusion from the meeting between the Mr Trump and Mr Putin, which is set to take place in Alaska on Friday. Speaking on Wednesday, Sir Keir said: "This meeting on Friday that President Trump is attending is hugely important. Article continues below "As I've said personally to President Trump for the three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on, we haven't got anywhere near a prospect of actually a viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire. "And now we do have that chance, because of the work of that the president has put in." Further sanctions could be imposed on Russia should the Kremlin fail to engage, and the UK is already working on its next package of measures targeting Moscow, he said. "We're ready to support this, including from the plans we've already drawn up to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased," he told allies. "It is important to remind colleagues that we do stand ready also to increase pressure on Russia, particularly the economy, with sanctions and wider measures as may be necessary." Sir Keir and European leaders have repeatedly said discussions about Ukraine should not happen without it, amid concerns the country is being sidelined in negotiations about its own future. Asked if it was his decision to not invite Mr Zelensky to the meeting, Mr Trump said "no just the opposite", before adding that a second meeting with the Ukrainian president could take place afterwards. "We had a very good call, he was on the call, President Zelensky was on the call. I would rate it a 10, you know, very, very friendly," he told reporters in Washington. He added: "There's a very good chance that we're going to have a second meeting which will be more productive than the first, because the first is I'm going to find out where we are and what we're doing." The US president has previously suggested a truce could involve some "swapping" of land. It is believed one of the Russian leader's demands is for Ukraine to cede parts of the Donbas region which it still controls. But Mr Zelensky has already rejected any proposal that would compromise Ukraine's territorial integrity, something that is forbidden by the country's constitution. Article continues below A joint statement from the Coalition of the Willing, which is co-chaired by Sir Keir, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said "international borders must not be changed by force". It added: "Sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia's war economy should be strengthened if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire in Alaska." The Coalition of the Willing is a European-led effort to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine in the event of truce.
Metro
34 minutes ago
- Metro
Here's everything we can expect when Starmer and Zelensky meet today
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has had more than his fair share of 'very big weeks' since Russia's invasion in 2022. But this week may prove to be among the most important. Tomorrow, Donald Trump will meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska for what's being described by the White House as a 'listening exercise' with the aim of laying groundwork for peace in Ukraine. Leaders from across Europe were able to press the US President with their arguments for what terms would and would not be acceptable in a virtual call yesterday afternoon. And this morning, Prime Minister Keir Starmer will welcome Zelensky to Downing Street for private talks. They will likely focus on strategies for responding to whatever emerges from the high-stakes Alaska summit – whether it's a solid ceasefire proposal, or something less substantial. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. No press conference is planned from the pair, so we may end up having to rely on a short description of the meeting from No 10 to learn what was discussed. Both leaders are likely to be in a good mood after the Teams chat yesterday was described in glowing terms by both Europe and the US. Immediately afterwards, Trump rated the meeting as 'a ten' and came out with strong words for Putin, saying the consequences would be 'very severe' if no ceasefire is agreed. During the call, Starmer had praised the US President for his work in creating a 'chance' for a 'viable way of bringing [the conflict] to a ceasefire'. More Trending Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron described it as an 'excellent meeting', and said there was 'strong alignment' on priorities like ensuring no decisions about Ukraine should be taken without the Ukrainians. Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, said the Europeans 'are doing everything to set the course for this [Alaska] meeting in the right direction'. When announcing his intention to meet with Putin last week, Trump also mooted a potential subsequent trilateral meeting where Zelensky would join them. In his press conference following the call yesterday, Trump once again raised this possibility, saying: 'We'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky and myself, if they'd like to have me there.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: South Park's latest savage Donald Trump takedown scores 6,200,000 viewers in 3 days MORE: Trump's honours list includes a British 70s sitcom actor you may have forgotten MORE: Home of 'Alligator Alcatraz' says human rights in the UK have worsened
