Zelenskyy Pushes Back on Trump’s “Instant Peace” Claim

The world has been watching closely for any sign of progress in the grinding war between Russia and Ukraine. Hopes briefly rose when Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Alaska last week. But despite the buzz of speculation, no breakthrough came out of the talks.

Now attention has shifted to Washington, where Trump is preparing to sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — and the atmosphere is already tense.

Trump signals his position early

Before even stepping into the room with Zelenskyy, Trump fired off a message on Truth Social, declaring:

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”

The post sparked immediate controversy, with critics accusing Trump of oversimplifying the conflict and putting pressure on Ukraine to make concessions.

Zelenskyy’s careful reply

Zelenskyy did not leave the statement unanswered. In a pointed message on X (formerly Twitter), he confirmed his arrival in Washington and previewed his upcoming talks with both Trump and European allies.

“We all want peace,” he wrote. “But it must be a peace that lasts — not like the past, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and parts of Donbas, which Putin then used to launch another attack. Or when we accepted so-called ‘security guarantees’ in 1994 that failed the moment Russia invaded.”

He added that Kyiv is determined to secure binding commitments — namely NATO membership — rather than vague promises that history has shown to be unreliable.

Why history matters

Zelenskyy’s remarks referenced the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, when Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear arsenal — then the third largest in the world — in exchange for international assurances of security. Russia, along with the U.S., UK, France, and China, pledged to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Three decades later, with Russian troops occupying parts of Ukraine, many officials now see that disarmament as a tragic miscalculation. Even Zelenskyy himself has said that assurances on paper are meaningless without real, enforceable guarantees.

Signs from the battlefield

Despite the ongoing uncertainty, Zelenskyy pointed to recent gains in Donetsk and Sumy as evidence that Ukraine can continue to hold its ground.

“I am sure we will defend Ukraine and secure our future,” he wrote. “We remain grateful to America, to President Trump, and to all our partners for their support. But Russia must end this war, which it began, and be forced into a genuine peace.”

High-stakes meeting

With Trump offering “peace in an instant” and Zelenskyy insisting that only a durable settlement will suffice, today’s talks in Washington could shape not only Ukraine’s next chapter but the broader balance of power in Europe.