After a period when President Trump seemed to be more inclined to the Ukrainian side, he now seems to be taking the side of Russia again. On board his plane the Air Force One he told reporters that Ukraine and Russia should stop fighting and that he wants to leave the situation in the largely Russia-occupied Donbas as he is.
And the British newspaper the Financial Times (FT) writes that the meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the White House went dramatically Friday. Trump is said to have urged Zelensky to accept the Russian conditions for ending the war and to give up the Donbas to Russia.
Based on sources, the newspaper reports that Trump warned that Russian President Putin will "destroy" Ukraine if the country does not cooperate.
Turn of Trump
A little over a month ago, Trump said Ukraine could win the war with the support of the European Union. Then he was remarkably positive about that. In a post on Truth Social, he stated that the country, with the help of the EU and NATO, can take back all territories occupied by Russia.
It seems that last Thursday's phone conversation with Putin has changed his mind.
According to the FT and The Washington Post, the Russian president has made a new proposal whereby Ukraine will give up the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in exchange for small parts of Cherson and Zaporizha. Exactly that exchange would have been introduced to Zelensky on Friday.
Two sources told Reuters that they had the impression that Trump was influenced by Putin. Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest in a few weeks.
Screaming
Zelensky came to Washington on Friday in the hope of getting more weapons from the U.S., but according to insiders, the meeting degenerated into a screaming party, with Trump constantly cursing.
That this was not an incident turned out last night on board the Air Force One. Trump said the Donbas region - in southeastern Ukraine - should be divided "in the way that it is now." "Negotiation is possible later," he said. "Go home, stop fighting and stop killing people."
The Donbas consists of the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. Luhansk is almost entirely occupied by Russia, Donetsk about three quarters.
What Trump is asking of Ukraine:
Pete Hegseth's tie during this meeting:
