How Trump's Move Away From Calls For A Ukraine Ceasefire Shifts Him Closer To Putin

President Donald Trump has promised a "Peace Agreement" to extremity nan warfare successful Ukraine pursuing his summit successful Alaska pinch Russian president Vladimir Putin, dropping his demand for a ceasefire and sparking fears he is moving person to Putin's position.

Trump carried retired telephone calls overnight pinch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — who travels to Washington for talks connected Monday — and European leaders.

But nan displacement successful stance has sparked fears that Trump has adopted Putin’s position, arsenic European leaders reiterated that borders cannot alteration done unit and analysts warned of perchance disastrous consequences.

“A awesome and very successful time successful Alaska!” Trump posted connected Truth Social early Saturday aft he returned to The White House. “It was wished by each that nan champion measurement to extremity nan horrific warfare betwixt Russia and Ukraine is to spell straight to a Peace Agreement, which would extremity nan war, and not a specified Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not clasp up.”

An aerial position of a blaze successful a residential area pursuing a powerful detonation arsenic emergency services respond to nan aftermath of nan fire, connected Thursday, 2025 successful Sloviansk, Ukraine. Kostiantyn Liberov / Getty Images

Ahead of nan Alaska summit, Trump told Zelenskyy and European leaders during a telephone connected Wednesday that he was going into nan gathering pinch Putin pinch nan extremity of securing a ceasefire, according to 2 European officials and 3 different group briefed connected nan call.

Trump and his counterparts agreed that a ceasefire would person to beryllium implemented earlier bid negotiations could begin, they said, but that stance seemed to displacement dramatically aft his discussions pinch Putin.

Later Saturday, Zelenskyy said, pursuing a telephone pinch Trump, that “we must execute a existent and lasting peace, not conscionable a region betwixt Russian invasions.”

A associated connection from European leaders — including France, Italy, Germany, Britain, Finland, and Poland, arsenic good arsenic nan presidents of nan European Commission and European Council — did not straight admit Trump’s reversal but said further talks must see Zelenskyy, and that “it will beryllium up to Ukraine to make decisions connected its territory.”

While nan constituent of nan Alaska acme remains unclear, Trump’s remarks person raised caller questions astir nan guidance of nan bid process.

“It does sound very overmuch arsenic though Putin’s arguments person prevailed complete those of European leaders, who were insistent that a ceasefire had to beryllium successful spot for negotiations to begin,” Keir Giles, a elder chap astatine London-based deliberation vessel Chatham House told NBC News.

“The threat lies successful nan anticipation that Trump whitethorn besides person go convinced that Russia’s demands connected Ukraine are valid,” he added, calling specified an result “disastrous, not only for Ukraine, but besides for nan information of Europe.”

Those Russian demands stay sweeping.

They see that Ukraine cedes each nan territory Putin claims to person annexed and an statement of imperishable neutrality, pinch a prohibition connected joining NATO. Moscow claims sovereignty complete 4 Ukrainian regions — Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — successful summation to Crimea, which it annexed successful 2014.

Russian forces do not afloat power nan territory successful those regions, and Kyiv has many times vowed ne'er to admit their annexation.

Ukrainian leaders person insisted that immoderate bid woody must see “security guarantees” from Western friends to guarantee Russia cannot motorboat different violative successful nan future. European leaders said Saturday that Russia “cannot person a veto against Ukraine‘s pathway to E.U. and NATO [membership].”

But Peter Watkins, an subordinate chap astatine Chatham House, says Russia has fixed "no indication" of softening its demands, casting uncertainty connected hopes for peace.

“The Russian strategical calculus is that they’re amended disconnected conscionable continuing to grind distant alternatively than work together to a ceasefire," he said. “If nan Russian demands haven’t changed, past it is difficult to spot really there’s going to beryllium a bid agreement."

But not each observers spot Trump’s displacement arsenic wholly negative.

Balazs Jarabik, a non-resident clever clever astatine nan Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, based on that it could yet beryllium beneficial for some Ukraine and Europe.

“Kyiv is losing nan warfare of attrition, while Europe faces a ample spread betwixt its strategical posture and its existent capacity to support nan war,” he wrote connected X. “A model for regulating nan conflict could supply each parties, including Russia, pinch room to stabilize nan situation.”

Meanwhile, fighting connected nan crushed has not slowed.

Russian drone strikes deed aggregate regions of Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian officials said, moreover arsenic nan Trump-Putin acme unfolded successful Alaska. “Confirmed strikes see rocket and UAV hits: 24 drones struck 12 locations,” Ukraine’s Air Forces said successful a statement.

And successful nan absence of a breakthrough, critics opportunity nan optics of nan Alaska acme whitethorn person played to Putin’s advantage while his federation continues its offensive.

“Putin sewage his reddish carpet curen pinch Trump, while Trump sewage nothing,” Wolfgang Ischinger, nan caput of nan Munich Security Conference, wrote connected X. “For nan Ukrainians: nothing. For Europe: profoundly disappointing,” he added. “A clear 1–0 for Putin.”

The Russian delegation successful Alaska besides appeared pleased pinch nan summit.

Kirill Dmitriev, a Putin advisor who heads Russia’s sovereign wealthiness fund, posted a clip connected X Friday showing an brushwood pinch a carnivore successful Alaska that he hoped would supply bully omens for nan meeting.

"Bear was so a bully sign," he said Saturday.