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Trump backs Putin’s proposal for Ukraine talks, undermining European leaders

Trump’s endorsement came the day after he backed European leaders’ demand for a ceasefire first.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed beginning talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday in Istanbul. (Pavel Bednyakov/AFP/Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed beginning talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday in Istanbul. (Pavel Bednyakov/AFP/Getty Images)

KYIV — President Donald Trump on Sunday backed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for direct talks with Ukraine, breaking his administration’s agreement with European leaders announced less than 24 hours earlier.

On Saturday, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and demanded that Putin accept a 30-day ceasefire starting Monday or see sanctions increased.

Trump, they said, had joined them in the demand, a key development. Trump’s envoy to Russia and Ukraine reposted a picture of the European leaders on a call with him and said the 30-day ceasefire would start the process of ending the war.

Putin, in response, proposed direct talks to begin Thursday in Istanbul. Zelensky has said he would be open to direct talks — once a ceasefire was agreed upon.

Trump, writing on social media on Sunday, sided with the Russian. “Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!”

Zelensky responded moments later to Trump, saying Kyiv still expected a ceasefire but that he was ready to meet Putin on Thursday.

The post undermined European and Ukrainian efforts to present a united front against Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took to social media Sunday to reiterate, in similar terms, that there would be no talks before a ceasefire was introduced.

“In Kyiv and alongside President Trump, we made a clear proposal: an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday,” Macron said on X. “There can be no negotiations while weapons are speaking. There can be no dialogue if, at the same time, civilians are being bombed. A ceasefire is needed now, so that talks can begin. For peace.”

“The Russian side is now signalling a readiness to talk,” Merz said on X. “That’s a good first step. But it’s by no means enough.

“We expect Moscow to now agree to a ceasefire. This is essential before beginning a genuine dialogue. Talks cannot begin until the weapons fall silent.”

Trump’s post appears to have caught even his envoy off guard. Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg was still promoting Saturday’s announcement early Sunday. He reposted Macron and a similar one from New Zealand premier Christopher Luxon, to which he added:

“Even the Prime Minister of New Zealand gets it,” Kellogg wrote. “As President Trump has repeatedly said, stop the killing!! An unconditional 30 day ceasefire first and, during it, move into comprehensive peace discussions. Not the other way around.”

 

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, President Donald Trump's special envoy to Russia and Ukraine, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv in February. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)
CaptioRetired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, President Donald Trump's special envoy to Russia and Ukraine, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv in February. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

 

Zelensky and his European allies cast the ceasefire demand as a way to pressure Putin after months of talks between Washington and Moscow yielded no results.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday he had spoken with Putin and was ready to host talks. Erdogan described the moment as a “historic turning point” toward ending the war.

He appeared, however, to back the European leaders’ demands of a ceasefire before talks. He said a ceasefire could create the conditions for constructive negotiations.

A meeting between and Zelensky and Putin would be the first since the Russian president ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. but it’s unclear whether Putin himself would participate. He has long cast Zelensky as an illegitimate president of a neo-Nazi regime.

In agreeing to meet with Putin, Zelensky is essentially calling his bluff.

Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report.

Author: Isobel Koshiw

Source: The Washington Post

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