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President Donald Trump on Saturday abruptly abandoned his call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, urging Kyiv and Moscow to move straight to a final peace agreement — a dramatic reversal that puts him closer in line with Russian President Vladimir Putin just hours after their summit in Alaska.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, backed by European leaders, has insisted that a ceasefire must come before any broader negotiations. Trump’s new stance, revealed in a Truth Social post following his Friday meeting with Putin in Anchorage, represents a sharp pivot from his previous position and sparked unease across European capitals.
“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 … and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump wrote.
Background
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine and its Western allies have insisted that Moscow halt its attacks before peace talks can begin. Putin has repeatedly dismissed such calls, saying negotiations should focus on long-term security and territorial arrangements — an approach Kyiv argues is a stalling tactic to cement Russian gains.
Leading into the Alaska summit, European leaders believed Trump had shifted closer to their position. French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that Trump was “very clear” about prioritizing a ceasefire, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz echoed that sentiment.
Legal and Diplomatic Arguments
For Ukraine, a ceasefire is seen as essential to preventing Russia from advancing while talks are ongoing. European officials argue that bypassing such a step risks legitimizing territorial losses and weakening Kyiv’s leverage.
Trump’s endorsement of Putin’s line raised concerns that Washington could pressure Ukraine into concessions. In a Fox News interview Friday, Trump said he and Putin “agreed on a lot of points” but noted that “one or two pretty significant items” remain unresolved.
Zelensky’s Response
Zelensky said Saturday he had a “long and substantive” phone call with Trump to review the Alaska summit, joined later by European leaders. He confirmed he would travel to Washington on Monday to meet Trump in person.
“Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace,” Zelensky said, while stressing that any deal must include “reliable security guarantees.” He welcomed “positive signals” from Washington about U.S. participation in such arrangements.
Zelensky also reiterated his support for a potential trilateral summit involving the U.S., Russia and Ukraine — an idea Trump has floated. But Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the topic was not discussed in Alaska.
European Reaction
European allies moved quickly to signal support for Zelensky. Leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the European Union issued a joint statement saying they stood “ready to work with” Trump and Zelensky on a peace framework, but underlined that Ukraine’s sovereignty must remain intact.
“We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees,” the statement read. The leaders emphasized that Russia should not have veto power over Ukraine’s NATO or EU ambitions and said Kyiv alone must decide its territorial future.
Broader Context
The Anchorage summit ended early and without a concrete agreement, though it was widely seen as a diplomatic win for Putin, who was received by Trump as an equal after years of isolation following his invasion.
Trump, meanwhile, said reaching peace now depends heavily on Zelensky: “It’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done. I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit.”
Next Steps
Zelensky’s upcoming visit to Washington will test whether the U.S. intends to press Kyiv toward Trump’s new peace-first framework — or if European leaders can reassert their demand for a ceasefire as the baseline for negotiations.
