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His arrival in Washington, D.C. on Sunday came days after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss the war.
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — A day before his scheduled meeting with Trump and European leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is back in the U.S. and feeling “grateful” for the invitation.
“We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably,” he wrote on social media. “Peace must be lasting. Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East—part of Donbas—and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack.”
His arrival in Washington, D.C. on Sunday came days after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the U.S. president fell short of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. Trump previously warned there would be “very severe consequences” if Putin didn’t end the war after their talk in Alaska. He provided no details on what the consequences might have been.
Shortly after the meeting, which lasted roughly three hours and was attended by Trump, Putin and two top aids each, Trump said an overall peace agreement — not the ceasefire that he has long championed — is the next step in ending the 3 1/2-year war in Ukraine.
Monday’s meeting will include European and NATO leaders with the goal of ending the war and also firming up U.S. security guarantees now on the negotiating table. Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Finland are rallying around the Ukrainian president.
“Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!” Trump posted to his social media site.
“Russia must end this war, which it itself started,” Zelenskyy’s statement said. “And I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace.”
In another post, Trump said Zelenskyy could “end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.” He also posted Ukraine would not be part of NATO as “some things never change.”
The last time Zelenskyy was at the White House, Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated him in a heated Oval Office encounter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
