U.S. president’s late-night social media post put the onus on Ukraine to end the war with Russia, setting a potentially tense tone for Monday’s talks in Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump put the onus on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end the war with Russia ahead of their meeting in Washington on Monday — a stark contrast to the red carpet he rolled out days earlier for Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy, accompanied by several European leaders, is visiting Washington for talks with Trump to discuss possible pathways to end the years-long war. Trump appeared to mark conditions for Monday’s talks in a Truth Social post late Sunday night, setting a potentially tense tone for the meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote. “Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”
Zelenskyy put out his own message shortly thereafter, reiterating that “we all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably” — and alluding to parameters of his own around territorial concessions and security guarantees.