President Donald J. Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Monday in a hastily arranged meeting that laid bare deep divisions over how to pursue an end to Russia’s full-scale invasion.
At issue is a proposal that mirrors demands from Moscow: Ukraine would be asked to relinquish control of parts of the Donbas region still under Kyiv’s authority, in exchange for security guarantees from the United States and European allies. The plan represents Mr. Trump’s most explicit embrace yet of a settlement aligned with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s conditions for halting the war.
Mr. Zelensky, who arrived in Washington with the backing of senior European leaders, rejected the idea outright. Standing alongside officials from France, Germany, Britain, Italy, the European Union, and NATO, the Ukrainian president reiterated that Ukraine’s territorial integrity is not up for negotiation. “No one can decide on Ukraine’s land except Ukraine,” he said in earlier remarks, underscoring his refusal to cede territory seized or demanded by Russia.
European leaders echoed Mr. Zelensky’s position, warning that legitimizing Russia’s territorial claims would erode international law and embolden other powers to redraw borders by force. The presence of such a broad coalition in Washington highlighted both the stakes of the talks and the degree of concern in European capitals about the direction of U.S. policy.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has shifted away from his earlier calls for an immediate cease-fire and is now promoting what aides describe as a comprehensive settlement. His administration has floated the possibility of U.S. “security guarantees” for Ukraine, commitments that could echo NATO’s collective defense principle but stop short of granting Kyiv membership in the alliance. European officials pressed for clarity on what such guarantees would entail and questioned how effective they could be if Ukraine were forced to surrender strategically important territory.
The talks took place under a climate of mounting tension. Outside the White House, demonstrators voiced opposition to any plan that trades land for peace. Inside, the negotiations highlighted the widening gap between Washington’s push for a swift resolution and Kyiv’s insistence on preserving sovereignty within internationally recognized borders.
For Ukraine, the stakes are existential: accepting territorial losses could undermine its survival as a sovereign state. For the United States and its allies, the outcome will test the credibility of Western commitments to resist Russian aggression and defend the principles of territorial integrity in Europe.
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