Trump seeks direct peace not ceasefire after meet with Putin

Following his highly anticipated summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump on Saturday called on Ukraine to strike a deal to end the war. In a major strategic shift, Trump stated that he and Putin had agreed that the best path forward was "to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up." The two leaders held a nearly three-hour meeting in Alaska on Friday, marking the first US-Russia summit since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Trump’s blunt message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was clear: "Russia is a very big power, and they're not." This statement, made in a post-summit interview, highlighted the power imbalance between the two nations and underscored Trump's belief that Ukraine must make concessions to secure peace. The US President hinted that discussions had included "land swaps and security guarantees," suggesting a framework for a potential deal.

In the aftermath of the summit, Zelenskyy engaged in a conversation with Trump and subsequently posted a lengthy and detailed response on X, outlining Kyiv’s "red lines" for any peace agreement. He said Ukraine was ready for "constructive cooperation" and supported the idea of a trilateral meeting, which would also involve the U.S. and Russia. However, he emphasized that a "real peace" must be achieved, one that is "lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions."

Zelenskyy's post also made it clear that a true resolution must include an immediate halt to killings, the return of all prisoners and abducted children, and security guarantees involving both Europe and the United States. He underlined the fundamental principle that "no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine." This statement directly addresses the concerns that the US and Russia might make a deal that compromises Ukraine's sovereignty without its consent.

While Trump hinted that a deal was "pretty close" and that the onus was now on Ukraine to agree to it, Putin's post-summit remarks were more reserved. The Russian President made no mention of Zelenskyy or a three-way meeting. He reiterated Russia's readiness to work on ensuring Ukraine's security but stressed that progress would depend on Kyiv and its European allies acting "constructively," a term often used by Moscow to imply that a peaceful solution would require Ukraine to make significant concessions.