Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that responsibility for ending the conflict rests squarely with Moscow, as he prepares for a crucial meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday.
The talks come after Trump’s meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week failed to produce a ceasefire. Instead, Trump has since shifted his stance, pressing Kyiv to surrender Crimea and withdraw its bid for NATO membership in exchange for peace.
“Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social late Sunday. He added that Zelensky could end the three-and-a-half-year conflict “almost immediately, if he wants to.”
Zelensky, arriving in Washington hours later, pushed back: “Russia must end this war, which it itself started. Ukrainians are fighting for their land, their independence. I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace.”
According to the White House, Zelensky will first hold a one-on-one discussion with Trump before being joined by European leaders including those of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland, along with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Beijing also weighed in ahead of the summit, urging “all parties” to move toward peace “as soon as possible.”
The Washington trip marks Zelensky’s first since his clash in February with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who accused him of showing “ingratitude” toward US support.
Meanwhile, fighting has intensified on the ground. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched more than 140 drones and four ballistic missiles overnight into Monday. A drone strike on an apartment block in Kharkiv killed at least seven people, Ukrainian officials confirmed.
In response, Moscow-backed authorities said Ukrainian artillery fire in Russian-occupied areas of Kherson and Donetsk killed two civilians.
