Trump, Zelenskyy to meet Monday in steps toward peace with Russia

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

Following a “successful” meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump said he is going straight for a “peace agreement” in a Monday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.

“The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russa went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO,” the president wrote on social media early Saturday morning after arriving back in Washington.

Trump indicated in-person peace talks between the two Eastern European leaders could be on the horizon, raising hopes for putting an end to a war in its fourth year. He has said similar things since the opening weeks of his second term, and dozens of times on the campaign trail said the war would end on Day 1 if he was elected.

“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere ceasefire agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump wrote. “President Zelenskyy will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved.”

During a press conference following the Friday meeting between Trump and the Russian president, Putin said his country is interested in “putting an end” to the war with Ukraine.

Trump indicated progress was made in talks with Putin, but did not elaborate on any agreements.

There were no immediate changes on the battlefields.

“Many points were agreed to, and there are just a very few that are left,” said the president. “Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there. We didn’t get there but we have a very good chance of getting there.”

Despite the successful meeting, Trump underscored that there is “no deal until there’s a deal” and that it is “ultimately up to” the two Eastern European leaders to come to an agreement.

The Russian president told reporters that the two countries must address the “roots” of the conflict in order to reach an agreement.

“We’re convinced that in order to make the settlement lasting and long term, we need to eliminate all the primary roots, the primary causes of that conflict and … to consider all legitimate concerns of Russia and to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world on the whole,” Putin said. “We agree with President Trump … that naturally, the security of Ukraine should be insured as well.”

In a social media post Saturday morning, Zelenskyy was much more direct in his demands for peace.

“The positions are clear,” Zelenskyy wrote. “We need to achieve real peace that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions. We must stop the killings as soon as possible, cease fire both on the battlefield and in the skies, and against our port infrastructure. We must free all Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians and bring back the children abducted by Russia. Thousands of our people are still held in captivity; they all must be brought home. We must maintain pressure on Russia as long as the aggression and occupation continue.

“In the conversation with President Trump, I emphasized that sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia evades an honest end to the war. Sanctions are an effective tool. We need to reliably and long-term guarantee security with the participation of both Europe and the United States. All issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine’s involvement, and no issue, including territorial ones, should be resolved without Ukraine.”

The last time Zelenskyy and Trump met at the White House in February, the meeting ended abruptly following a tense exchange. At the time, Trump said Zelenskyy wasn’t “ready for peace.”

Since then, the leaders appeared to have patched things up during two sidebar meetings in Europe.