US President Donald Trump, after a long meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House (the official residence and office of the US President) on Friday, called on Ukraine and Russia to end the war, saying “they should stay where they are.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration over the war not ending since he took office, but his latest comments appear to be a message to Ukraine to abandon efforts to take back land lost to Russia.
“There has been enough bloodshed, the borders of property are being determined by war and courage,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social shortly after the more than two-hour conversation between Zelensky and his team. “They should stay right where they are.” Let both claim victory, let history decide!”
Trump later urged both sides to “immediately stop the war” after arriving in Florida and hinted that Russia should keep the territory it had seized from Ukraine. “You follow the battle lines, wherever they are — otherwise it will become very complicated,” he told reporters.
“You stop at the battle lines and both sides should go back, go home to their families, stop the killing,” Trump said.
After Friday’s meeting, Zelensky said the time has come for a ceasefire and talks. He avoided a direct answer to a question about Trump pressuring Ukraine to give up the land.
When reporters asked Zelensky about Trump’s post, the Ukrainian president said, “The president is right.” We have to stop where we are and then talk.”
Trump’s stance on war changed after a long phone call with Putin on Thursday. After the phone conversation, he announced that he planned to meet the Russian leader in Budapest, Hungary in the coming weeks.
Zelensky on Friday congratulated Trump on last week’s ceasefire and hostage agreement in Gaza, saying that now Trump has a big chance to stop the Russia-Ukraine war.
The US leader has indicated that he is not ready to agree to the sale of long-range missile systems to Kiev. Although Ukraine desperately needs it.
Recently, Trump expressed his intention to sell long-range ‘Tomahawk cruise’ missiles to Ukraine, while Putin warned that such a move would create further tension in US-Russia relations.
