President Donald Trump has called for talks aimed at achieving a full peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine, rather than a ceasefire, in a major shift that puts him at odds with U.S. allies in Europe and Kyiv.
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“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump posted on Truth Social following a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Trump’s position on negotiations over the war now aligns more closely with the Kremlin, which has been pushing for a comprehensive agreement instead of a ceasefire. Ukraine and European leaders have insisted that peace talks cannot take place without a ceasefire agreement first being agreed upon.
Read more: Why Trump’s Summit in Alaska Cannot End Putin’s War in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he had spoken to Trump following the summit and emphasized the need for a ceasefire, but did not outright counter Trump’s desire for a full peace deal:
“A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions,” Zelensky wrote on X, though he continued. “Killings must stop as soon as possible, the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky, as well as against our port infrastructure.”
Speaking alongside Zelensky at a press conference on Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also emphasized the “right sequence” for negotiations: “We want a ceasefire at the very beginning, and then a framework agreement must be drawn up.”
Talks will continue on Monday afternoon when Zelensky visits the White House. The hope, Trump says, is to set up another call with Putin after that meeting.
“If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved,” Trump added in his post.
Trump’s shift comes after the “high-stakes” meeting between Putin and Trump at a summit in Alaska— the first in-person encounter between the two leaders since 2019—which ended with no concrete move toward a ceasefire deal, despite this being a main aim of the meeting.