U.S. President Donald Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to surrender parts of Ukraine’s territory to Russia during a tense meeting in Washington on Friday, according to people briefed on the talks.
The meeting, described by two sources as “disappointing” for the Ukrainian side, saw Trump reject Kyiv’s request for Tomahawk missiles and propose a ceasefire along current frontlines. He also floated the idea of offering security guarantees to both Ukraine and Russia — remarks that reportedly left the Ukrainian delegation puzzled.
A third person familiar with the talks said Trump’s ceasefire proposal emerged after Zelenskiy refused to voluntarily cede territory. “The meeting ended with (Trump’s) decision to make a ‘deal where we are, on the demarcation line,’” the source said.
Speaking later to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump reiterated that stance. “We think that what they should do is just stop at the lines where they are,” he said.
Asked whether he told Zelenskiy to surrender all of Donbas, Trump replied, “No. Let it be cut the way it is. I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia.”
Kyiv Frustrated by U.S. Position
Zelenskiy had hoped to secure long-range missiles capable of striking inside Russia, but Trump’s team declined. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance later said the president had not yet made a final decision on the issue.
According to sources that spoke to Reuters, the tone of the meeting was at times combative. One person said Trump used profanity and warned Zelenskiy that “your country will freeze, and your country will be destroyed” if Ukraine refused to make a deal — a characterization another source disputed.
Two sources said Trump appeared influenced by a call the previous day with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, according to reports, proposed a territorial swap: Ukraine would cede the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in exchange for small parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
That same proposal was raised by U.S. officials during Friday’s meeting, one of the sources said. Ukrainian representatives rejected the idea, saying such concessions would leave the rest of the country vulnerable and amount to “suicide.”
Before meeting Zelenskiy, Trump said he would soon meet Putin in Budapest, with preparations expected to involve U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
