Trump says Zelenskyy could end Ukraine war ‘almost immediately’ ahead of White House talks

U.S. President Donald Trump has said Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy could end the war with Russia “almost immediately”, ahead of high-level talks in Washington on Monday.

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

The Ukrainian leader is due to meet Trump at The White House on Monday, where they will be joined by a group of senior European leaders and the NATO Secretary General for a round of talks focused on peace proposals.

Trump, who hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in a closed-door summit in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, has not disclosed details of any proposed deal, but said on Sunday that significant progress had been made.

Putin described the three-hour meeting as having produced an “understanding,” while Trump later told Fox News that only “minor items” remained to be finalised.

In his posts, Trump criticised U.S. media outlets for characterising the summit with Putin as a setback. He insisted that the Russian president had preferred to meet elsewhere but agreed to hold talks in the U.S., calling it a “major point of contention.”

“Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honour to host them,” Trump wrote separately, adding that hosting such a gathering was a “great honour for America.”

Zelenskyy has consistently stated that Ukraine will not accept territorial concessions or membership restrictions on NATO as part of any peace settlement.

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