Washington, DC: Hours before President Volodymyr Zelensky’s motorcade pulls up at the White House, Donald Trump has laid down terms he believes are essential for any end to the war in Ukraine. The U.S. president says Kyiv must cede Crimea to Russia and commit never to join NATO.
European leaders are already in Washington, gathered to stand with Zelensky as he walks into perhaps the most difficult conversation of his presidency. The White House arrivals begin at noon. Meetings with Trump and his team are slated for the afternoon.
Trump’s Conditions
Speaking on the eve of the talks, Trump said Ukraine must agree to some of Russia’s demands if peace is to be reached. “Crimea goes back, and no NATO membership,” he told aides, according to officials briefed on the discussions.
The statement sets the stage for high-stakes bargaining. At Alaska Summit last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled willingness to consider limited concessions. He told Trump that he would allow certain “security guarantees” for Ukraine and hinted at possible land swaps, according to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
But Zelensky remains wary. He has warned that any security promises “must be stronger than those that did not work before”. For its part, Moscow has yet to put such agreements on paper.
Fresh Strikes in Ukraine
While leaders meet in Washington, Russia continues its assault on the ground. New missile and drone attacks across Ukraine have killed at least 10 people, Zelensky said.
“The Kremlin wants to humiliate diplomatic efforts,” he said, adding that the strikes show “why reliable security guarantees are required”.
Zelensky’s Huddle With Kellogg
Ahead of the White House visit, Zelensky sat down in Washington with Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy. The Ukrainian president later wrote on X, “We discussed the battlefield situation and our strong diplomatic capabilities – Ukraine’s and all of Europe’s together with America. Russia can only be forced into peace through strength, and President Trump has that strength. We have to do everything right to make peace happen.”
Kellogg once served as Trump’s link to both Moscow and Kyiv. But in recent months, he has been overshadowed by Witkoff, who has taken several trips to Moscow.
U.S. officials say Kellogg’s sympathy toward Kyiv has made him unwelcome to Russian negotiators. He was said to be excluded from the Alaska Summit for that reason.
Even so, Kellogg posted his own note after the meeting: “Great discussion with President Zelensky,” he wrote.
A Side Meeting with Europe
Zelensky is also scheduled to meet several European leaders before heading to the White House. That gathering is taking place at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington. The leaders want to lock in a common position before facing Trump’s team.
The Donbas Question
The fate of the Donbas remains central to negotiations. Once industrial giants of the Soviet Union, Donetsk and Luhansk are now scarred by nearly a decade of war.
Pro-Russian militias seized large parts of the region in 2014. Since then, over 14,000 people have died in fighting.
Putin recognised the separatist enclaves as independent states on the eve of his 2022 invasion and later annexed them after widely denounced referenda.
Moscow now controls almost all of Luhansk and more than 70 percent of Donetsk.
Analysts say Russia would need years to complete its occupation. Ukraine still holds key industrial cities and rail hubs that act as a fortress belt against further Russian advances.
For Kyiv, giving up Donetsk would mean abandoning soldiers’ sacrifices and leaving central Ukraine exposed to the next offensive.
Polls back Zelensky’s position: three-quarters of Ukrainians reject giving up land to Russia. European leaders agree, warning that rewarding aggression with territory undermines the very rules of international order.
Trump’s Boast
As the day begins, Trump has cast the summit as historic. “A big day at the White House. We have never had so many European Leaders here at one time. A great honor for America!!! Let’s see what the results will be,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The outcome depends on whether Zelensky bows to Trump’s conditions, which are Crimea lost and NATO ambitions abandoned, or whether Ukraine and its allies draw a harder line when they sit down at the long table in the East Room.