Washington — President Trump is about to satisfy with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders on the White Home on Monday because the U.S. pursues a long-lasting peace settlement to finish Russia’s battle in Ukraine.
Mr. Trump introduced the assembly early Saturday, following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. In a submit on Reality Social, the president mentioned the assembly with Putin “went very effectively,” including that the identical was true of a cellphone name with Zelenskyy and varied European leaders after the actual fact.
“President Zelenskyy will probably be coming to D.C., the Oval Workplace, on Monday afternoon,” Mr. Trump mentioned. “If all works out, we’ll then schedule a gathering with President Putin.”
European and NATO leaders are anticipated to accompany Zelenskyy to Washington, together with European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen, who mentioned she was becoming a member of at “the request of President Zelenskyy.”
Although the practically three-hour-long assembly between the U.S. and Russian presidents on Friday failed to provide the ceasefire that Mr. Trump had sought, the administration has since pivoted to in search of a broader peace settlement between Ukraine and Russia. The choice to desert a ceasefire was at odds with the targets of the U.S. and European allies heading into the summit, and a few analysts say the shift may give Putin extra leverage on the negotiating desk.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday that “each side are going to need to make concessions” to get there.
“We need to wind up with a peace deal that ends this battle so Ukraine can go on with the remainder of their lives and rebuild their nation and be assured that that is by no means going to occur once more,” Rubio mentioned, noting that doing so would require each side “to offer.”
The secretary of state, who attended Friday’s summit assembly with Putin, indicated that sufficient progress was made to sit down down with Zelenskyy to “slim the hole between the 2 sides.”
Rubio mentioned the small print of safety ensures for Ukraine, the query of territories and the problem of rebuilding the nation nonetheless have to be mentioned and “require some extra specificity.”
In the meantime, U.S. particular envoy Steve Witkoff mentioned on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that Putin agreed to permit the U.S. and Europe to supply “game-changing” safety ensures, together with a doable association during which the allies present “Article 5-like safety” to Ukraine. Article 5 of the NATO constitution says an assault on one member nation is taken into account an assault in opposition to all. Putin has been vehemently against Ukraine becoming a member of NATO, however an analogous safety assure exterior the framework of the alliance may reassure Kyiv that Russia could be deterred from attacking sooner or later.
Witkoff famous that the administration intends to debate a doable land swap at Monday’s assembly.
“We’re not ready per week for a gathering with Zelenskyy and the European leaders,” Witkoff mentioned. “We’re intent on making an attempt to hammer out a peace deal that ends the combating completely, very, in a short time. Faster than a ceasefire.”
In a Reality Social submit Sunday night time, Mr. Trump mentioned, “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can finish the battle with Russia nearly instantly, if he needs to, or he can proceed to combat. Bear in mind the way it began. No getting again Obama given Crimea (12 years in the past, with no shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some issues by no means change!!!” Mr. Trump was referring to Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea in early 2014.
In a submit on X, Zelenskyy mentioned he’d arrived in Washington for the talks and insisted, “Russia should finish this battle, which it itself began. And I hope that our joint power with America, with our European pals, will power Russia into an actual peace.”
Forward of Monday’s assembly, Russian assaults on Ukraine continued, with a wave of air strikes hitting cities across the nation, together with Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Sumy, CBS Information accomplice community BBC Information reported. Ukrainian authorities mentioned a drone assault on a residential space within the metropolis of Kharkiv in a single day killed a toddler, a 16-year-old and 5 different folks.
“Regardless of all the diplomacy and peace efforts, Russia continues to kill civilians,” Ukraine’s Minister of Overseas Affairs Andrii Sybiha mentioned in a social media submit. “Russia is a murderous battle machine that Ukraine is holding again. And it have to be stopped via transatlantic unity and stress. Moscow should cease the killing with a purpose to advance diplomacy.”
Russian state media reported Ukraine had carried out a drone assault in Donetsk, in a single day which killed a 62-year-old lady.
Monday’s assembly between Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy comes months after a contentious February Oval Workplace assembly between the 2 leaders and Vice President JD Vance uncovered a extreme rift, with tensions erupting on digital camera as Vance accused Zelenskyy of ingratitude. In current months, Mr. Trump’s posture appeared to shift as he expressed frustration with Putin over Russia’s ongoing drone and missile assaults, together with what Ukraine described as the biggest such assaults because the invasion started in February 2022.
Haley Ott and
Brian Dakss
contributed to this report.
