Trump Tells Zelenskyy He Could “End War Immediately,” Rules Out NATO or Crimea Return
Donald Trump has stepped up the pressure on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of their high-stakes meeting in Washington on Monday. Writing on Truth Social late Sunday, the U.S. president suggested that Kyiv could stop the fighting with Russia “almost immediately” if it chose to, while also drawing firm red lines: no NATO membership for Ukraine and no reclaiming of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump posted. “No getting back Obama-given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and no going into NATO by Ukraine. Some things never change!!!”
Just minutes later, Trump struck a more diplomatic tone, saying it would be a “great honour” to host so many European leaders together at the White House. On Monday, he is scheduled to meet Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. The talks are seen as an attempt by U.S. allies to counter a rumored American-backed plan that would force Ukraine to cede territory to Moscow in exchange for peace.
The president’s remarks are likely to unsettle European diplomats who remember the bruising treatment Zelenskyy received in Washington earlier this year. During a February visit, Trump and Vice-President JD Vance publicly rebuked him, accusing Ukraine of showing “ingratitude” and warning that Kyiv had little leverage left in negotiations.
Arriving in Washington on Sunday night, Zelenskyy struck a hopeful tone, saying that Ukraine’s partnership with the U.S. and Europe remained vital. “I am grateful to the president of the United States for the invitation. We all equally want to end this war swiftly and reliably,” he said on Telegram. “And I hope that our shared strength with America and with our European friends will compel Russia to real peace.”
The Ukrainian leader faces an uphill challenge. Trump’s weekend summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, widely interpreted as a diplomatic win for Moscow, has already weakened Kyiv’s position. Though Trump dismissed critical coverage of the meeting as media distortion, he claimed the talks had achieved “big progress” with Russia—without offering specifics.
For European leaders, Monday’s meeting is an opportunity to reassert their backing for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and push back against any settlement that rewards Russian aggression. They are also seeking clearer commitments from Washington on what security guarantees the U.S. is willing to provide Kyiv if a deal is struck.
Russia, meanwhile, signaled its own conditions. Mikhail Ulyanov, Moscow’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, said any peace deal must also include guarantees for Russia’s security, not just Ukraine’s.
In London, Starmer attempted to balance praise with caution. He welcomed Trump’s “efforts to end Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine,” but emphasized that any peace “cannot be decided without Zelenskyy” and insisted that Moscow must continue to feel pressure through sanctions.
Adding to the complexity, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that Putin had, for the first time, accepted the idea of U.S. and European nations providing Ukraine with protection outside of NATO. Witkoff suggested this arrangement would be modeled on NATO’s Article 5—its mutual defense clause—without formally making Ukraine a member of the alliance.
As leaders gather in Washington, Zelenskyy finds himself at the center of competing pressures: a U.S. president intent on redefining the terms of peace, European allies resisting territorial concessions, and a Russia still pressing for recognition of its control. Whether Monday’s meeting will deliver a breakthrough—or deepen divisions—remains to be seen.
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