Trump shifts ceasefire position, urges Ukraine to agree Russia peace deal

United States President Donald Trump said he wants to bypass a ceasefire in Ukraine to move directly to a permanent peace agreement after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a major shift of position, the US President said on Truth Social following Friday’s summit that this would be “the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine”, adding ceasefires often “do not hold up”.

Trump will welcome Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s President, to Washington on Monday and urged him to agree to a peace deal.

Following a phone call with Trump after the summit, Zelensky called for a real, lasting peace, while adding that “the fire must cease” and killings stop.

Trump’s comments indicate a dramatic shift in his position on how to end the war, having said only on Friday ahead of the summit that he wanted a ceasefire “rapidly”.

Ukraine’s main demand has been a quick ceasefire before talks about a longer-term settlement, and Trump reportedly told European leaders beforehand that his goal for the summit was to obtain a ceasefire deal.

Meanwhile, Putin reportedly presented Trump a peace offer that would require Ukraine to withdraw from the Donetsk region of the Donbas, in return for Russia freezing the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, then launched a full-scale invasion of the country eight years later. It claims the Donbas as Russian territory and controls most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk.

The US President, who has previously said any peace deal would involve “some swapping of territories”, is said to have relayed the offer to Zelensky in the call following the summit.

Just days ago, Ukraine’s President ruled out ceding control of the Donbas, made up of the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk ; saying it could be used as a springboard for future Russian attacks.

In an interview with Fox News following Friday’s summit, Trump was asked what advice he has for the Ukrainian leader, to which he responded by saying “make a deal”.

“Russia’s a very big power and they’re not,” he added.

Ahead of Friday’s summit, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosted a virtual meeting with Zelensky, other European leaders and Trump

Trump had previously threatened “very severe consequences” if Putin did not agree to end the war, last month setting a deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire or face tough new sanctions, including secondary tariffs.

Little was announced by way of an agreement by either Presidents following Friday’s summit, but Trump insisted progress had been made.

On Saturday, Putin described the summit as “very useful” and said he had been able to “set out our position” to Trump.

“We had the opportunity, which we did, to talk about the genesis, about the causes of this crisis. It is the elimination of these root causes that should be the basis for settlement,” the Russian President said.

Meanwhile, the “coalition of the willing” – a group of countries that have pledged to strengthen support for Ukraine that includes the United Kingdom, France, and Germany will hold a call on Sunday afternoon before Zelensky’s visit to the White House on Monday.