Donald Trump has called on Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue a peace agreement with Russia, rather than a temporary ceasefire, as the shifted his focus towards ending the war in Ukraine. The appeal followed high-level talks between Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, a meeting lasting nearly three hours. While no ceasefire was agreed, Mr Trump insisted that “great progress” had been achieved in the discussions.
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In a post afterwards, Mr Trump argued that a full peace settlement would be more sustainable than a ceasefire, which he described as fragile and short-lived. His view was echoed by Mr Zelensky, who stated online that “real peace must be achieved” and dismissed the idea of another brief pause in hostilities. The White House confirmed that the Ukrainian president will travel to Washington on Monday for talks with Mr Trump, their first bilateral meeting in North America since February’s Oval Office confrontation.
The Kremlin described the Alaska meeting as “very useful”. Mr Putin said discussions had centred on the root causes of the conflict and the need for a fair resolution. Reports suggested the United States had offered Ukraine NATO-style security guarantees under a potential peace framework, without formal membership of the alliance. In the UK, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the diplomatic progress but emphasised the importance of maintaining sanctions, declaring that Mr Putin’s “barbaric assault” must be met with continued economic pressure.
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Mr Trump and Mr Putin, joined by senior aides and foreign ministers, held their talks at an Air Force base in Anchorage under the banner “Pursuing Peace”. Both leaders spoke briefly to the press afterwards but avoided questions, with Mr Trump cautioning that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal”. Despite expressions of optimism, it remains unclear whether the summit produced tangible steps towards ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since the Second World War.
