US President Donald Trump has said that he did not suggest that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy give all of Donbas to Russia during recent talks in Washington. Trump said on 19 October aboard Air Force One.
“Let it be divided up the way it is now. I think 78 per cent of the territory has already been taken by Russia,” Trump said.
“They can … negotiate something later,” he added.
Reuters, citing two unnamed sources with knowledge of the discussions, reported that the US president had pushed the Ukrainian president to hand over certain territories to Russia during their meeting on 17 October.
That Trump told Zelensky during their meeting at the White House to accept Russia’s conditions for ending the war, including handing over Donetsk region, was also reported by the Financial Times on 19 October, citing unnamed sources.
According to the FT report, Trump warned Zelensky that Russian President Vladimir Putin had threatened to “destroy” Ukraine if it did not agree to his terms.
Putin and Trump spoke by phone on 16 October. Following the two-hour conversation, Trump announced that the presidents would hold a face-to-face meeting in Budapest.
On 17 October, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. The main topic of the conversation was arms supplies to Kiev, in particular the possible sale of Tomahawk cruise missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 2,500 kilometres. According to the publication Axios, Trump refused Zelensky in the supply of “Tomahawks” and made it clear that now his priority is diplomacy. The Ukrainian president himself said that “Trump didn’t say no”, but he didn’t say yes either. Kiev as it grew increasingly frustrated with Putin’s refusal to negotiate an end to the war, but then seemed to rule out the possibility – at least for now – after talking to the Russian president.
Zelensky said the issue of Tomahawk missiles was “very sensitive for the Russians” and that Putin was “afraid that the United States will deliver them to Ukraine” because it would allow Kiev to strike strategic military facilities and infrastructure, which could disrupt Russia’s military efforts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said in an interview with NBC News that he is ready to join the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin if it takes place in Budapest.