WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/KYIV. U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to reach a deal with Russia, warning that Moscow seeks more of Ukraine and remains a far stronger power.
According to a source familiar with Friday’s summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Putin proposed freezing most front lines if Kyiv ceded all of Donetsk, a key industrial region. Zelenskiy rejected the demand, the source said. Russia already controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including three-quarters of Donetsk province.
After the meeting, Trump posted on Truth Social 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.”
Zelenskiy pushed back, insisting that a halt in fighting was essential for any lasting peace. “Stopping the killing is a key element of stopping the war,” he wrote on X. He is set to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, in talks that may also involve European leaders, according to German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
The White House meeting follows Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s tense session with Zelenskiy in February, and Trump has suggested a possible three-way summit with Putin. Kremlin officials, however, said such talks have not been discussed.
Canada welcomed Trump’s openness to providing security guarantees for Ukraine, which Zelenskiy has consistently demanded to prevent future Russian aggression. European allies also stressed that Ukraine must receive strong assurances, while rejecting Moscow’s push to block Kyiv’s NATO ambitions.
Putin offered no concessions on Russia’s long-standing demands but agreed with Trump that Ukraine’s security must be “ensured.” His participation in the summit marked a diplomatic breakthrough for Moscow after years of Western isolation.
Critics in Europe argued that Trump gave Putin legitimacy without extracting firm commitments. “Putin got his red carpet treatment with Trump, while Trump got nothing,” former German ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger said.
The war, now in its third year, has killed or wounded more than a million people, including thousands of civilians, analysts say. Fighting continued overnight with both Russia and Ukraine carrying out air strikes.
Trump told Fox News that he and Putin had “largely agreed” on land and security guarantees, though Ukraine still had to accept. “Gotta make a deal,” Trump said. “Look, Russia is a very big power, and they’re not.”
Putin ended the summit by telling Trump, “We’ll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon.” To which Trump replied, “Next time in Moscow,” drawing a smile from the Russian leader.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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