Zelenskyy Pushes Back on Trump’s Claim He Could End War “Almost Immediately”

The world’s attention was fixed on Alaska this weekend as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met face-to-face, raising hopes that a peace deal might finally emerge in the war between Russia and Ukraine. But after hours of speculation, the summit ended without progress.

Trump’s message to Zelenskyy

Instead of unveiling a breakthrough with Moscow, Trump shifted his focus toward Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ahead of their meeting in Washington, the former U.S. president took to Truth Social to declare that the war could end instantly—if only Zelenskyy wanted it to.

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote. He went on to claim that Ukraine must abandon NATO aspirations and accept that Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014 under Barack Obama’s presidency, would never return.

The statement, predictably, sparked a wave of controversy.

Zelenskyy’s carefully chosen reply

Zelenskyy, now in Washington for back-to-back talks with Trump, U.S. officials, and European leaders, quickly offered his own response.

“I have already arrived in Washington, tomorrow I am meeting with President Trump,” he posted on X. “We all share the desire to end this war, but peace must be lasting. Not like before, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and Donbas, only for Putin to use them as staging grounds for another attack.”

The Ukrainian leader also reminded the world of broken promises from the past. In 1994, Ukraine surrendered the third-largest nuclear arsenal on Earth under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security guarantees from major powers—including Russia. Those assurances, Zelenskyy said, proved worthless once Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

“Of course, Crimea should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022,” he stressed.

Why Ukraine wants NATO now

The Budapest deal is a sore point for Ukrainians who now widely believe disarmament was a historic mistake. Many former officials have admitted they were “naive” to trust Moscow—or to assume the West would intervene decisively if Russia attacked.

That betrayal explains why Zelenskyy insists that only hard, binding security guarantees—like NATO membership—can prevent future wars. “Assurances” on paper, he argues, are no longer enough.

“Russia must end this war”

Despite Trump’s push for what he describes as “instant peace,” Zelenskyy highlighted Ukraine’s continuing advances on the battlefield. He noted recent successes in the Donetsk and Sumy regions, praising soldiers for their resilience.

“I am confident we will defend Ukraine and guarantee real security,” he said. “Russia must end this war, which it itself started. Together with America and our European partners, we will force Russia toward genuine peace.”

A high-stakes meeting

With Trump calling for compromise and Zelenskyy demanding durable security guarantees, today’s meeting in Washington is more than a diplomatic exchange—it may set the course for the next phase of the world’s most dangerous conflict.