U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled a shift in support toward Russia’s Vladimir Putin as he looks for a quick end to the war in Ukraine, likely striking fear into Ukrainian officials.
Trump held a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, with the potential supply of U.S. long-range cruise missiles, Tomahawks, on the agenda.
Zelenskyy walked away from the meeting not only empty-handed, but apparently upbraided by Trump, who said Ukraine should accept Russia’s terms for ending the war — by handing over the entire eastern territory of Donbas, the epicenter of ongoing fighting in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters this weekend, Trump said for Donbas to be “cut the way it is.”
“It’s cut up right now, I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia,” he said on Air Force One on Sunday. “They should stop right now at the battle lines ... Go home, stop killing people and be done.”
In the meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump also warned the Ukrainian leader that Putin had told him — in a lengthy phone call on Thursday in which they agreed to hold in-person talks in Hungary — that Russia would “destroy” Ukraine if it did not agree to the demand.
