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President Donald Trump is ready to zoom past a ceasefire and get straight to a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
After his high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and ahead of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump announced his intention to bring a more final end to the war.
“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 in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
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Trump also said that if his meeting with Zelenskyy in D.C. on Monday goes well, they will work to schedule a trilateral meeting with Putin, presumably to get a peace agreement finalized and signed. However, Trump and Zelenskyy have both confirmed that they spoke after the U.S.-Russia summit on Friday.
The president’s rejection of a ceasefire agreement echoes what Zelenskyy has often said regarding a lasting peace, rather than a “pause between Russian invasions.”
“Today, following a conversation with President Trump, we further coordinated positions with European leaders. The positions are clear. A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
Zelenskyy to meet with Trump in DC after historic Putin summit
European leaders involved in the “Coalition of the Willing,” including U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and others, also expressed their desire for a “just and lasting peace.” The officials issued a joint statement after Trump and Putin’s meeting, praising U.S. efforts and encouraging them to continue.
“We are also ready to work with President Trump and President Zelenskyy towards a trilateral summit with European support,” the statement read.
Zelenskyy said on X that he urged Trump to issue sanctions if Russia refuses to partake in a trilateral meeting. The move is possible, as Trump threatened to hit Russia with “very severe” economic consequences if Putin derailed the peace process, but did not explain what that would entail.
Although Putin and Trump did not reach a deal during their meeting in Alaska, the summit was widely seen as a successful step towards peace. Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an exclusive interview that the summit was a 10 out of 10 and that Putin wants the war to be “done.”
“We see the desire of the U.S. administration and President Trump personally to facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, his desire to delve into the essence and understand its origins,” Putin said in a statement after the meeting, according to a Reuters translation.
Putin reiterated his stance that the conflict with Ukraine is based in security concerns for Russia. He also said that he saw the Ukrainian people as “brotherly” and that “in order for the Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, all the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated,” according to Reuters.
It remains to be seen whether Putin would be open to a trilateral meeting to end the brutal years-long war.
