Zelensky scrambles to avert disaster as Trump meets Putin
Why it matters: Zelensky is staring down a perfect storm: a sudden Russian battlefield breakthrough, mounting discontent at home, and a high-stakes summit in Alaska on Friday that could back him into a diplomatic corner.
The big picture: Trump is expected to hold a virtual meeting Wednesday with Zelensky and a group of European leaders, two sources with knowledge of the plans tell Axios.
Zelensky has been downplaying Russia's recent gains and working the phones to leaders in Europe and beyond to hedge against an unfavorable outcome in Alaska.
Behind the scenes: After a series of largely fruitless phone calls over the last six months, Trump has been itching to meet Putin face to face to gauge his willingness to make peace, U.S. officials say.
"The President feels like, look, I've got to look at this guy across the table. ... I want to look this guy in the eye. I think we're going to know very early in that meeting whether this thing has any chance of success or not," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told radio host Sid Rosenberg on Tuesday.
Zelensky and other European leaders are concerned that when Trump looks Putin in the eye, he will actually agree with his hardline demands.
"As of now, nobody knows what Trump wants to get from Putin on Friday. We don't know how much influence we can have on Trump, but we have to keep trying," a Ukrainian official told Axios.
Zoom in: Recent days have been whiplash-inducing for Ukrainian officials.
Trump was set to announce harsh sanctions on Russia last Friday, but instead announced he'd be welcoming Putin onto U.S. soil.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have made one of their most rapid gains in more than a year in the past 48 hours. Zelensky claimed Tuesday that the advance was narrow and tactical, intended to shape perceptions ahead of the Trump-Putin summit. "The military is going to correct it," he said.
Polls show that Ukraine's population, which once overwhelmingly wanted to fight on until victory, now wants peace. Gallup found 69% want a deal "as soon as possible," while KIIS in Kyiv found growing — though not majority — openness to terms previously floated by the Trump administration.
While Trump hasn't cut off weapons for Ukraine, he's now offering them for sale to NATO countries rather than sending them directly, muddying the outlook for future shipments.
The other side: U.S. officials argue that if Trump's rhetoric sounds pro-Russian at times, it's because he believes that kind of public messaging will help him get a deal.
One told Axios that Trump is still "pissed off" at Putin. "The general view for months is that we can bring down the Russian economy tomorrow. There are more ways to ruin Ukraine. But if he had to choose a side, he would start to bring down the Russian economy. He's really had enough."
The U.S. official said that even if the diplomatic efforts fail, Trump will continue selling weapons to NATO countries for Ukraine.
" Maybe Trump can't get this done but he's going to do his level-best," the official said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
9 minutes ago
- Axios
D.C. religious leaders blast Trump crackdown as 24/7 federal patrols ramp up
The Trump administration's D.C. crackdown was ramping up National Guard deployment and 24/7 federal patrols on Wednesday night, drawing a sharp rebuke from religious leaders in the U.S. capital. The big picture: President Trump's maintains his unprecedented action in declaring a " crime emergency" in D.C. was necessary, but the interfaith group said his " sweeping language" to justify it is "inaccurate and dehumanizing, increasing the risk of indiscriminate arrests and the use of excessive force." What they're saying:" Even one violent crime is one too many, and all Washingtonians deserve to live in safety. But safety cannot be achieved through political theatre and military force," per the statement from the group that includes Bishop Mariann Budde — who upset Trump at a January prayer service when she implored him to "have mercy" on immigrants and LGBTQ+ people. "It requires honesty and sustained collaboration between government, civic, and private partners — work now being sidelined," the statement reads. "Inflammatory rhetoric distracts from that work, even as the administration has cut more than $1 billion from programs proven to reduce crime, including law enforcement support, addiction and mental health treatment, youth programs, and affordable housing," the statement said. Of note: "The president has likened his intentions for Washington — and possibly other cities — to the harsh measures already used against migrants, tactics that have resulted in thousands detained in inhumane conditions and many deported without due process," they added. The group is calling on the city's political and civic leaders to "reject fear-based governance and work together in a spirit of dignity and respect — so that safety, justice, and compassion prevail in our city." For the record: The D.C. religious leaders involved in the statement, titled "Fear Is Not a Strategy for Safety," along with Budde are: Washington National Cathedral Dean Randy Hollerith; Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, co-senior rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation; Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling, episcopal leader of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware and Rabbi Abbi Sharofsky director of Intergroup Relations and rabbi in residence at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington; The Rev. John Molina-Moore, general presbyter for National Capital Presbytery; Bishop Leila Ortiz, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Rabbi Jon Roos,Temple Sinai; and Rabbi Susan Shankman, Washington Hebrew Congregation also signed onto the statement. Scenes from D.C. as federal patrols stepped up
New York Post
9 minutes ago
- New York Post
Appeals court allows Trump to cut $2 billion in foreign aid
A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that President Trump can withhold some $2 billion in foreign aid payments, overturning a lower-court order that had blocked the administration's plans to slash disbursements from the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of judges on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia lifted Biden-appointed District Judge Amir Ali's temporary restraining order, which forced USAID to continue making billions of dollars in foreign assistance payments for work already done by organizations the agency contracted with. Ali issued the restraining order in February in response to a lawsuit filed by two nonprofit organizations, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and Journalism Development Network, after Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid funding on his first day in office. Advertisement 3 President Trump speaks to the press about deploying federal law enforcement agents in Washington to bolster the local police presence, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House, in Washington, DC, on Aug. 11, 2025. REUTERS Judge Karen Henderson, an appointee of former President George H.W. Bush, noted in the majority opinion Wednesday that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring a case against the Trump administration's funding freeze. 'The district court erred in granting that relief because the grantees lack a cause of action to press their claims,' Henderson wrote. Advertisement The nonprofits had argued that the president exceeded his authority by virtually abolishing USAID and cutting congressionally approved spending. Henderson, joined in the majority by Judge Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee, ruled that under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, only the Government Accountability Office – a congressional watchdog agency – had standing to challenge the president's order to withhold foreign aid. Judge Florence Pan, a Biden appointee, slammed the funding freeze as 'unlawful' and warned it could lead to 'tyranny' in her dissenting opinion. 3 A federal appeals court on Wednesday cleared President Trump to withhold $2 billion in foreign aid, reversing a lower court's block on his plan to cut USAID disbursements. REUTERS Advertisement Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters 'The court's acquiescence in and facilitation of the Executive's unlawful behavior derails the carefully crafted system of checked and balanced power that serves as the greatest security against tyranny – the accumulation of excessive authority in a single Branch,' Pan wrote. A White House Office of Management and Budget spokesperson hailed the ruling, telling Reuters it would halt 'radical left dark money groups' from 'maliciously interfering with the president's ability to spend responsibly and to administer foreign aid in a lawful manner in alignment with his America First policies.' The Trump administration had previously petitioned the Supreme Court to lift Ali's restraining order, but in a 5-4 ruling, the high court rejected the bid. Advertisement 3 President Trump speaks during a visit to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on Aug. 13, 2025. REUTERS In February, the State Department outlined plans to eliminate roughly $60 billion in foreign aid spending and terminate 92% of grants issued by USAID. The figures were included in a State Department memo detailing the results of a foreign aid audit ordered by Trump. The audit identified nearly 15,000 grants and targeted almost 10,000 for elimination — the majority of which were issued by USAID. USAID was one of the first federal agencies that Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency, formerly led by billionaire Elon Musk, targeted for massive cuts based on allegations of widespread waste, fraud and abuse within the agency. In July, Congress approved a White House recession request that clawed back about $8 billion earmarked for USAID.
Associated Press
10 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Maine clinics hope to get blocked Medicaid funds restored as they sue Trump administration over cuts
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A network of clinics that provides health care in Maine is expected to ask a judge Thursday to restore its Medicaid funding while it fights a Trump administration effort to keep federal money from going to abortion providers. President Donald Trump's policy and tax bill, known as the ' big beautiful bill,' blocked Medicaid money from flowing to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. The parameters in the bill also stopped funding from reaching Maine Family Planning, a much smaller provider that provides health care services in one of the poorest and most rural states in the Northeast. Maine Family Planning filed a federal lawsuit last month seeking to restore reimbursements. Lawyers and representatives for Maine Family Planning say its 18 clinics provide vital services across the state including cervical cancer screenings, contraception and primary care to low-income residents. They also say the funding cut occurred even though Medicaid dollars are not used for its abortion services. 'Without Medicaid, MFP will be forced to stop providing all primary care for all patients — regardless of their insurance status — by the end of October,' the organization said in a statement, adding that about 8,000 patients receive family planning and primary care from the network. It also said many Maine Family Planning clinics 'provide care in very rural areas of the state where there are no other health care providers, and around 70% of their patients rely exclusively on MFP and will not see any other health care provider in a given year.' In court documents, Anne Marie Costello, deputy director for the Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services, called the request to restore funding 'legally groundless' and said it 'must be firmly rejected.' 'The core of its claim asks this Court to revive an invented constitutional right to abortion — jurisprudence that the Supreme Court decisively interred — and to do so in a dispute over federal funds,' Costello said. While advocates of cutting Medicaid for abortion providers focused on Planned Parenthood, the bill did not mention it by name. Instead it cut off reimbursements for organizations that are primarily engaged in family planning services — which generally include things such as contraception, abortion and pregnancy tests — and received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023. The U.S. Senate's parliamentarian rejected a 2017 effort to defund Planned Parenthood because it was written to exclude all other providers by barring payments only to groups that received more than $350 million a year in Medicaid funds. Maine Family Planning asserts in its legal challenge that the threshold was lowered to $800,000 this time around to make sure Planned Parenthood would not be the only entity affected. It is the only other organization that has come forward publicly to say its funding is at risk.
