Ukraine: Trump Urges Quick Deal Ahead of Talks With Russia

 

Ukraine: Trump Urges Quick Deal Ahead of Talks With Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Ukraine to reach a swift agreement as Russian, Ukrainian, and American negotiators prepare to begin a new round of talks today in Geneva, Switzerland.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, Trump said: “Ukraine would do well to sit at the negotiating table, and quickly.” His remarks came just hours before the tripartite meeting, which is expected to address possible territorial concessions or at least a freeze on the current front lines.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov cautioned that the issues remain “vast” and warned that “no one will risk predicting” the outcome of the discussions. He reiterated Moscow’s desire for not only a pause in hostilities but a lasting settlement that addresses the roots of the conflict.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, citing NATO expansion as a threat to its national security.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, rejected the idea of territorial concessions, insisting that he will not repeat “the same mistakes” of the past. In a social media message, he argued that Russia’s ambitions can only be curbed through “total sanctions” against the Kremlin.

Zelensky pointed to earlier crises — the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the war in eastern Ukraine, the 2008 conflict in Georgia, and the devastation in Chechnya — as examples of the dangers of appeasement. “It was a great mistake from the beginning to allow the aggressor to keep anything,” he said.

He added: “Putin cannot be stopped with kisses or flowers. I have never done that, and I don’t believe it is the right path. My advice to everyone is: don’t do that with Putin.”

According to Zelensky, any new concessions would only give Russia time to rebuild its military and prepare for future offensives.