Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington to meet US President Donald Trump. This meeting follows Trump’s high-stakes Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky has expressed a wish to end the prolonged war with Russia quickly and reliably.
The meeting between Zelensky and Trump is set to be held at 1:15 pm (10:45 pm IST) at the White House, Reuters reported. After this meeting, Trump will have a multilateral meeting with the European leaders at 3 pm.
Zelensky Wishes to End War
Zelensky noted that Ukraine is looking forward to ending the war with Russia and has arrived in Washington to meet Donald Trump. He writes on X, “I have already arrived in Washington, tomorrow I am meeting with President Trump. Tomorrow we are also speaking with European leaders. I am grateful to @POTUS for the invitation. We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting. Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East—part of Donbas—and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack. Or when Ukraine was given so-called ‘security guarantees’ in 1994, but they didn’t work.”
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He added that Ukraine is constantly fighting for their land and hopes for peace with Russia. He stated, “Of course, Crimea should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022. Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence. Now, our soldiers have successes in Donetsk and Sumy regions. I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner and ally for their support and invaluable assistance. Russia must end this war, which it itself started. And I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace. Thank you!”
Meeting with European Leaders
Ukrainian President Zelensky and US President Trump will meet the European leaders to find a reliable solution towards peace. The leaders expected at the meeting includes UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, AFP reported.
The Trump administration also hinted that US is all set to provide a security guarantee to Ukraine, and this decision is welcomed by both European leaders and Kyiv.
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Renewed Relations between the US and Ukraine
Zelensky’s visit to the United States marks Zelensky’s return to the Oval Office for the first time after a clash with Trump on February 28 after the US President and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelensky for being ungrateful to the US. They urged him to negotiate with Russia.
The ‘conflict’ caught fire when JD Vance accused Zelensky of being disrespectful to Trump and his peace efforts. Zelensky responded by stating that the reason he cannot trust Putin is because of his repeated violations of past agreements. He also warned Trump that even though the US is far from the war, it may feel its effects if Putin was appeased.
The clash strained relations between Ukraine and the United States.
