Trump praises Zelensky's suit and jokes about the US not having an election if it goes to war
1:19
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and top European leaders went to the White House in damage control mode after the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday. The goal was to prevent Trump from humiliating Zelensky, forcing him to make territorial concessions to Russia, and failing to make a firm commitment to the security of Ukraine and, ultimately, Europe itself.
It was up to German Chancellor Friederich Merz , praised by Trump as a"great leader," to impose the most blatantly contradictory condition to that of the American president: the need for a ceasefire. Before and after Merz put this on the table, Trump boasted of having"resolved six conflicts" without a ceasefire.
Behind this lies the crux of the dispute between Russia and Ukraine: the territorial issue. A ceasefire means freezing the conflict line. Putin wants Zelensky to grant him the 30% of Donbas territory that Russian forces have been unable to conquer since 2014, when they launched their invasion of eastern Ukraine.
Before meeting with Putin, Trump imposed successive deadlines for a ceasefire, committed to the Europeans to demand it from the Russian autocrat, and threatened Russia with"severe consequences" if it didn't agree. After Friday's meeting, he began saying it wasn't necessary. And he reiterated this at the White House before Zelensky and the Europeans.
The other crucial issue for Ukrainians and Europeans is security guarantees for both parties in the context of a potential agreement with Russia. In the press conference following the first meeting between Trump and Zelensky, the American president acknowledged that nothing had been agreed upon with Putin regarding guarantees along the lines of NATO's Article 5, which provides for mutual defense.
Trump assured, however, that he didn't want a peace"for two years, and then they go back to this mess," but a long-term one. He also said that the United States would participate in Ukraine's defense, although it would be up to the Europeans to be on the front lines with ground troops.
When asked what he wanted from the United States, Zelenskyy replied:"Everything. Weapons, air defense, and intelligence." But both agreed that weapons, including air defense, would be purchased from the US by Ukraine and its European allies, and no longer donated, as under the Biden administration.
In the extended meeting later, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, also praised by Trump for recently reaching a trade deal, raised the issue.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have said that not only Ukraine's security is at stake, but Europe's. Macron has even argued that not only a trilateral meeting involving Trump, Putin and Zelensky, but a quadrilateral meeting including Europe will be needed to discuss these security guarantees.
Trump seemed to agree, adding that Putin also wants a solution. Neither of his interlocutors nodded when he made this statement. This is the source of all the disagreement between the American president and his NATO partners, created to defend Europe from the Russian threat.
