US President Donald Trump has declared reclaiming Crimea and NATO membership are off the table for Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington on Monday to discuss a resolution of the conflict with Russia.
Following a meeting with President Trump at the White House, Zelensky, who has always opposed territorial concessions, would be joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO chief Mark Rutte, and leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland.
Following Trump’s Friday meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska is the high-stakes visit. Though no ceasefire was agreed upon, both leaders promised “strong security guarantees” for Ukraine. Though outside the alliance structure Moscow resists, Trump has floated the idea of a NATO-style collective defense guarantee.
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Sunday, ruling out a return of Crimea or NATO membership.
European leaders worry Trump might approve conditions advantageous to Russia. While Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski emphasized that pressure must be exerted on the aggressor, not the victim, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that “a peace that would be a capitulation” is unacceptable.
Though talks on Donetsk remain unresolved, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s representative, claimed Moscow had made “some concessions” about seized Ukrainian territories. According to a European source, Trump seemed “inclined to support” Russia’s call for territorial recognition it does not yet completely control in Donbas in exchange for freezing the front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and claimed four more regions in 2022 even while not holding them completely. Saying any arrangement had to guarantee Ukraine’s lasting peace and independence, Zelensky has consistently opposed giving up territory.
Ahead of the negotiations, Zelensky stated he was prepared to hear specifics of Trump and Putin’s Alaska talks and called US security commitments “historic.” Still, he said that peace should not compromise Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Simultaneously, Russian assaults on Monday claimed three Kharkiv people’s lives and caused dozens of injuries, with further hits reported in Sumy near the border.
