WASHINGTON DC: US President Donald Trump has shifted his stance on the Ukraine conflict, now advocating for bypassing a ceasefire and moving straight to a permanent peace agreement following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Posting on Truth Social after Friday’s summit, Trump described this approach as “the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine,” noting that ceasefires often fail to hold.
Trump is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Monday and urged him to accept a peace deal. After speaking with Trump by phone post-summit, Zelensky called for genuine, lasting peace, emphasizing that “the fire must cease” and the violence stop.
This marks a significant change from Trump’s earlier position on Friday, when he had expressed a desire for a rapid ceasefire. Ukraine’s primary demand has been an immediate ceasefire before negotiating a longer-term solution, and Trump had reportedly told European leaders before the summit that securing a ceasefire was his main objective.
Meanwhile, Putin allegedly proposed a peace plan to Trump requiring Ukraine to withdraw from the Donetsk region of Donbas, with Russia agreeing to freeze front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Russia annexed Crimea illegally in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine eight years later, claiming Donbas as its territory and controlling most of Luhansk and around 70% of Donetsk.
(Inputs from BBC)
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