U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Ukraine should strike a deal to end the war with Russia, arguing that “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not,” after his summit with President Vladimir Putin failed to deliver a ceasefire.
In a major policy shift, Trump said he and Putin agreed negotiators should push for a full peace settlement rather than a temporary ceasefire, a stance long opposed by Ukraine and its European allies. “The best way to end the horrific war is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, and not a mere Ceasefire,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will travel to Washington on Monday for White House talks. While Kyiv’s allies welcomed Trump’s mediation, they vowed to continue backing Ukraine and tightening sanctions on Moscow.
The Alaska summit marked the first U.S.-Russia meeting since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Putin signaled support for ensuring Ukraine’s security but made no commitments to meet Zelenskiy. Trump later told Fox News the talks included discussions on land transfers and security guarantees, saying he believed a deal was pretty close, though ultimately “Ukraine has to agree.”
European leaders voiced cautious optimism. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni highlighted progress on NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine. But others were scathing: former German ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger said Putin got “red carpet treatment” without making concessions.
Despite talk of peace, both Russia and Ukraine carried out overnight airstrikes as frontline fighting raged on. Putin closed the summit, hinting at another meeting: “Next time in Moscow,” he told Trump, who smiled and replied he “might get a little heat on that one.”
Reuters/s.s