One day after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump has indicated a significant change in his method of bringing an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Trashing his previous insistence that a ceasefire be agreed before the negotiating table can come into play, Trump is now advocating for an outright peace deal as the “best way” forward, the Associated Press reports.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump posted: “It was concluded by all that the way to stop the terrible war between Russia and Ukraine is to go straight to a Peace Agreement, which would stop the war, and not a so-called Ceasefire Agreement, which too many times don’t work.”
Alignment with Putin’s Position
The U.S. President’s new position looks nearer to Moscow’s stance. Putin has constantly emphasized that Russia doesn’t need a temporary ceasefire but a long-term agreement ensuring its interests. The Russian president has also demanded that any compromise should involve the recognition of Moscow’s authority over major territories of eastern Ukraine.
In their conversations, Putin is said to have repeated his call for the Donbas referenda in the Donetsk and Luhansk territories in exchange for halting fighting in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. European diplomats, who asked not to be identified, said Putin presented this position in recent phone calls with Trump and European partners.
Zelensky Stands Firm on Land
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thus far dismissed the concession of the Donbas to Russia, asserting that Ukraine’s territorial integrity is not open for discussion. Trump had spoken with Zelensky and some European leaders after his summit with Putin and asserted that talks with NATO and allied capitals will go on before anything concrete is announced.
The White House has confirmed that Zelensky will see Trump on Monday in Washington, where the U.S. President is likely to unveil his revised plan.
Implications for the Peace Process
Trump’s shift provokes concerns over what Western allies will make of a negotiating format that seems to skip over a ceasefire phase. Some European leaders can appreciate the need to speed up talks, but others fear a hasty agreement will cement Russian territorial gains and erode Ukraine’s sovereignty.
For the present, the change highlights Trump’s willingness to reset U.S. diplomacy in seeking a general peace accord, even as the specifics of the deal remain unclear.
