Trump says ceasefire not necessary to negotiate an end to war
Asked if there will still be “severe consequences” for Russia if a ceasefire isn’t agreed, as he previously said, Trump says:
I don’t think you need a ceasefire.
He says a ceasefire is “good to have” but he could understand why one country might not want one.
We can work a peace deal while they’re fighting. They have to fight. I wish they could stop, I’d like them to stop, but strategically that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other.
Key events
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‘We will give them very good protection,’ Trump says of Ukraine
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Trump to call Putin later today
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Ukraine needs ‘everything’ in support from US, says Zelenskyy
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Trump says ceasefire not necessary to negotiate an end to war
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Trump says he believes Putin wants Ukraine war to end
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US to ‘be involved’ in Ukraine’s security, says Trump
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Zelenskyy doesn’t say if he’s prepared to cede territory to Russia
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Zelenskyy thanks Trump for efforts to stop war
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Trump touts ‘very substantial progress’ in Putin talks
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Zelenskyy returns to White House for crucial talks with Trump alongside European allies
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We need ‘joint pressure’ on Russia to end war, Zelenskyy says, after ‘coordinating positions’ with allies ahead of White House talks
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First European leaders arrive at White House — in pictures
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European leaders expected at White House soon
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14 dead in overnight Russian attacks, authorities say
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Russia’s Putin calls leaders of Brazil, India, South Africa ahead of Zelenskyy’s DC visit
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EU27 to get debrief on Trump-Zelenskyy talks tomorrow
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First leaders seen in Washington ahead of crunch talks
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Poland set to miss summit amid conflict between president, government on foreign policy
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‘Russia can only be forced into peace through strength’, Zelenskyy says as he bids for Trump’s backing
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‘I’ll get it done, Trump says, as he insists ‘I know exactly what I’m doing’
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Trump rages against ‘fake news’ saying they wouldn’t credit him even if he got Russia to ‘surrender’ and hand over Moscow, St. Petersburg, and 1000 miles around them
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European leaders want to ‘flesh out details’ of security guarantees for Ukraine
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Ten dead in attacks ahead of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting
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Meloni sees ‘glimmer of hope’ from Trump-Putin talks, focuses on security guarantees
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‘We’ve got to get it right,’ Starmer says, as he pushes for ‘lasting, fair, just’ peace in Ukraine
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UK’s Starmer ready to back Ukraine peace deal without ceasefire as precondition
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Germany’s Merz finds silver lining in Trump’s Alaska summit, but commiting troops continues to divide politicians
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‘Moscow must hear: stop,’ Zelenskyy says, as he warns against rewarding Russia for war
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Hungary, Ukraine clash over criticism for attack on Russian oil pipeline
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Seven dead, 20 injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv
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17 injured in overnight Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia
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Trump’s tone on ending war likely to alarm Europeans ahead of talks — snap analysis
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Ceasefire, security guarantees to be discussed at White House, Finnish PM says
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Opening summary
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump have just posed for a “family photo” with European leaders. Here it is, featuring UK prime minister Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish president Alexander Stubb, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Well, the optics of this initial meeting were far friendlier than the last time these people were all in the Oval Office together, and Zelenskyy and the other European leaders will no doubt be very pleased with how suit-gate was handled, for example – heck, there was even laughing at times.
But despite this lightheartedness, there were some worrying developments for Kyiv. Perhaps most key was Trump’s assertion that he’s decided he doesn’t need a ceasefire after all in order to negotiate a peace deal, after spending months demanding one from Russia and threatening sanctions and “severe consequences” if it didn’t comply. Things have clearly changed after his Alaska summit with Putin, who knows the US president wants more than anything a quick end to the war and has played this up to his advantage by blaming others for being the obstacle to peace.
But there were glimmers of hope for Kyiv, notably Trump saying the US would give Ukraine “very good protection”, though he remained uncommitted on what level of specific security guarantees the US is willing to support, for instance whether its involvement would include an Article 5-style defence commitment.
Whether Trump can now be convinced once again by Zelenskyy and the Europeans that the onus is on Russia to end its war, and not on Ukraine to give up territory, in order to achieve peace remains to be seen.
‘We will give them very good protection,’ Trump says of Ukraine
Earlier Trump was asked if he would offer Ukraine [Nato] Article 5-style security guarantees. He said this hasn’t been discussed yet but says of Kyiv:
We will give them very good protection, very good security. That’s part of it.
Trump to call Putin later today
Trump says he just spoke to Putin indirectly, and will speak to him again after these meetings today “and we may or may not have a [trilateral meeting].”
“He’s expecting my call when we’re finished with this meeting,” Trump says.
Ukraine needs ‘everything’ in support from US, says Zelenskyy
Asked what security guarantees he needs from Trump, Zelenskyy says: “Everything.”
He says he needs a strong Ukrainian army – weapons, training, equipment, intelligence.
He says he will discuss this with “our partners”, the “big countries including the United States”.
Going even more off topic, Trump claims mail-in ballots are “corrupt” and he wants to end them. (Putin apparently brought this up in Alaska on Friday, much to Trump’s delight).
Trump goes on a tirade about Joe Biden, adding to an earlier detour where he appeared to justify his federal takeover of Washington DC by highlighting that people felt safe enough to go out to dinner again in the nation’s capital.
Trump says ceasefire not necessary to negotiate an end to war
Asked if there will still be “severe consequences” for Russia if a ceasefire isn’t agreed, as he previously said, Trump says:
I don’t think you need a ceasefire.
He says a ceasefire is “good to have” but he could understand why one country might not want one.
We can work a peace deal while they’re fighting. They have to fight. I wish they could stop, I’d like them to stop, but strategically that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other.
Trump says he believes Putin wants Ukraine war to end
Trump also said earlier that he believes Vladimir Putin wants the war to end.
Asked if he’s open to holding elections in his country, Zelenskyy says of course.
He says it depends on safety and circumstances as they can’t hold elections during the war.
Trump sounds intrigued by the prospect of not being able to hold elections if you’re at war …
The reporter who last time attacked Zelenskyy over not dressing formally enough says the Ukrainian president looks “fabulous” in his suit, to which Trump says he said the same thing.
The reporter apologises to Zelenskyy, who quips that while he changed his clothes the reporter is wearing the same suit he wore last time: “I changed, you did not.”
Asked if Melania Trump sent the letter to Putin because he is the aggressor in this war, Trump dodges the question by talking about his wife’s love of children and her wanting to see the war end.
He also claims the letter was “very well received” by Putin.
Trump claims to have ended six wars and says he thought this would be the easiest one, but it’s a tough one.
Asked if he understands the “root causes” of the war, Trump says the war has to end.
