Trump Claims Putin Threatened Ukraine’s destruction, details emerging Peace Proposal
WASHINGTON D.C. – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left a White House meeting Friday having secured no new commitments for weaponry, but facing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to consider territorial concessions to Russia, according to reports from the Financial Times. The shift in tone comes as Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a follow-up summit in the next two weeks, possibly in Budapest, to discuss the ongoing conflict.
The Financial Times reported sunday that Trump repeatedly echoed arguments Putin made during a Thursday phone call, including a demand that Zelenskyy cede the entire Donbas region to Russia. Sources indicate Ukraine ultimately persuaded Trump to support a freeze of the current front lines as a potential resolution. Following the meeting, Trump publicly stated his belief that the war should end along existing battle lines, a position Zelenskyy characterized as a important advancement.
According to the Financial Times, Putin proposed to Trump a trade: smaller areas of the southern Kherson and Zaporizhia regions in exchange for the larger Donbas areas currently held by Ukraine. This represents a scaling back from Putin’s earlier demands, which included the cession of all of Donbas and the entirety of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions – an area of nearly 20,000 square kilometers.
Trump reportedly conveyed to Zelenskyy that Putin had warned of the complete destruction of Ukraine should his demands not be met.
The meeting followed an initial, unsuccessful summit between Trump and putin on August 15 in Alaska. The upcoming Budapest meeting aims to build on the evolving dialog, though significant obstacles remain.
Source: Reuters
