Donald Trump: Insiders report “nasty” meeting with Zelenkyj

According to insiders, US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cede parts of the national territory to Russia at a tense meeting on Friday. The meeting was a clear disappointment for the Ukrainian delegation, two people familiar with the talks told the Reuters news agency on Sunday. Trump also refused to deliver Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Instead, he talked about giving security guarantees to both Kiev and Moscow, which the Ukrainian delegation found confusing.

A statement from the White House and the Ukrainian presidential office was initially not available.

After the meeting, Trump called for a ceasefire on the current front lines. Zelensky echoed that position in remarks to reporters. A third insider said Trump made the suggestion during the meeting after Zelensky said he would not voluntarily cede territory to Russia. “It was pretty bad,” said one of the insiders. Trump’s message to Zelensky was: “Your country will freeze and your country will be destroyed if Ukraine doesn’t sign an agreement with Russia.” Trump also used foul language several times during the meeting.

According to two insiders, there was the impression that Trump was influenced by a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. During this conversation, Putin suggested a territory swap, according to the Washington Post. Accordingly, Ukraine should cede the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and receive small parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in return. One of the insiders said US officials suggested exactly that to Zelensky on Friday. However, the Ukrainians see great strategic value in the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk that they still hold. In their view, a cession would make the rest of Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian offensives.

The Financial Times first reported on parts of the talks on Sunday.

Zelenskyi said in his evening video speech on Sunday evening that Ukraine would not give anything to the aggressor and would not forget anything. “We see clearly that this Russia is a long-term threat.”

Before the meeting with Zelensky, Trump announced on Thursday that he would soon meet with Putin in Budapest. A Kremlin adviser said shortly afterwards that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would speak in the coming days to prepare for the summit.

Trump only met with Putin in Alaska in August. Western observers subsequently expressed disappointment, while Trump himself made vague statements and stated that they agreed on most points. A peace agreement can be reached in the near future and he is aiming for a three-way meeting with Putin and Zelensky. He also threatened Russia with economic sanctions. In mid-September, Trump said his patience with Putin was running out, “and quickly.” In mid-2024, Trump said that if elected, he would end the war before his formal inauguration. Trump has been in office since January.