Ukraine Must Give Up Donbas For Peace With Russia — Trump
…Pushes For Putin-Zelenskyy Meeting
President Donald Trump has moved to accelerate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine by setting up a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump also ruled out deploying U.S. ground troops as part of any future security guarantees for Kyiv.
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump said U.S. allies in Europe, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, were prepared to put “boots on the ground” to help enforce a settlement, while America’s role would focus on providing air support.
“We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably, by air, because no one has the kind of stuff we have,” Trump said.
Trump, however, insisted that “no U.S. ground troops” would be sent to Ukraine under his presidency.
“You have my assurance, and I’m president,” he said, adding that Ukraine’s security should primarily rest on European shoulders.
The U.S. president revealed that he has spoken directly with Putin and is pressing for a bilateral summit between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, which he hopes to join later in a trilateral format.
“I called President Putin, and we’re trying to work out a meeting with President Zelensky. We’ll see what happens there,” he said.
Trump expressed frustration with what he described as a slower pace among some European leaders, saying one suggested meeting “in another month or two.”
“I said, ‘A month or two? You’re gonna have another 40,000 people dead in a month or two. You have to do it tonight,’” Trump stated.
The president also described what he called a “warmth” between himself and Putin during their summit in Anchorage, Alaska last week, portraying it as a sign that Russia might be more open to talks.
At the same time, leaders in the “Coalition of the Willing”, which includes the U.K., France, and other European allies, have discussed the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Russia if Putin resists negotiations.
A UK government statement after Tuesday’s summit in the US capital, Washington, described the talks as “constructive” and said planning teams will work with U.S. counterparts to prepare for security guarantees and, potentially, a “reassurance force” if fighting stops.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired the coalition meeting, where leaders emphasized unity and the need for a “just and lasting peace.”
Trump acknowledged that Ukraine faces tough decisions over territory already under Russian control. He noted that Russia now holds a majority of the Donbas region.
“Ukraine has to accept it will not get its lost territories back, including Donbas, but in return will get peace,” he said.
“Whether people like it or not, Russia is a powerful nation, much bigger than Ukraine. You don’t take on a nation that’s 10 times your size,” he added.
Still, Trump maintained that a peace deal would help in ending mass casualties and preserve Ukraine’s land, under their control.
Ukraine Must Give Up Donbas For Peace With Russia — Trump is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
