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Zelenskiy Says He'll Meet With Trump in Washington on Monday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he'll travel to Washington to meet with US counterpart Donald Trump on Monday to discuss the end of Russia's invasion, as he and European allies push for a trilateral summit with Vladimir Putin.
'Ukraine once again confirms that it is ready to work productively to achieve peace,' Zelenskiy said in a social media post after a call with Trump on Saturday, as the US president returned to Washington from a meeting with Putin in Alaska.
'We support President Trump's proposal to hold a trilateral meeting of Ukraine-US-Russia.' Zelenskiy also reiterated that Europe should be part of the talks.
Zelenskiy and European leaders spoke with Trump as the US president returned to Washington from talks in Alaska on Friday with the Russian president that failed to deliver a path to end the war, currently in its fourth year. Still, Trump called his meeting with Putin productive and said he would tell Zelenskiy to make a deal.
Trump said on the call that while it's up to Ukraine to decide on what to do with its territory, Putin's stance hasn't changed — he still wants Kyiv to cede control of the entire Donbas region in Ukraine's east, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition on anonymity.
Zelenskiy has repeatedly ruled out giving up all of Donetsk and Luhansk, which Moscow's forces only partially control and have so far failed to take militarily. Russia would halt advancing its claims over the parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson region it doesn't now control, effectively freezing the battle-lines there.
Trump's main goal, as conveyed on the call, is to achieve a quick peace deal rather than a ceasefire, the person said.
European officials welcomed Trump's efforts during their phone conversation with the US president. They also reiterated their call for a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskiy, according to people familiar with the discussion.
The topic of holding a trilateral summit hasn't been raised during the summit in Alaska, Russia's state TV channel Vesti reported on Saturday, citing Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.
European leaders again said that it will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory, and that the current line of contact must be the starting point of negotiations.
In their call with Trump, which lasted over an hour, they reaffirmed Ukraine's need for robust security guarantees and pledged continued military assistance.
Some European officials are concerned that Trump will now pressure Zelenskiy to make territorial concessions to reach a deal, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity after the Alaskan summit, Trump said that there were a few sticking points remaining after his discussion with Putin, even as he cautioned that the two hadn't reached a deal, and shifted his focus to Zelenskiy, saying it was up to him to resolve the war.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Air Force said on Telegram Saturday morning that Russia launched 85 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukrainian territory overnight, underscoring Moscow's intention to press on with the war. 'On the day of negotiations, the Russians are killing as well. And that speaks volumes,' Zelenskiy said on X.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said on Telegram that Friday's Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska showed that negotiations are possible even as the fighting continues.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
