In a revelation that threatens to upend Western support for Kyiv, former US President Donald Trump has been privately urging Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to capitulate to Vladimir Putin's territorial demands to end the war.
According to sources close to Zelensky, Trump's advice, delivered during a meeting at Trump Tower, was stark: negotiate a deal by ceding the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula and the occupied eastern regions of Donbas to Russia. This move would effectively legitimise Putin's land grab and reward a full-scale invasion.
A Chilling Warning to Zelensky
Trump reportedly warned the Ukrainian President that the United States, under his potential leadership, would be far less supportive. He allegedly stated that European allies would follow his lead and abandon their financial and military backing, leaving Ukraine isolated and defenceless.
"If Trump becomes president, you will never get a single penny from the US... and the Europeans are weak, they will follow the US," he is claimed to have told Zelensky.
The Stark Contrast in US Foreign Policy
This private counsel stands in direct opposition to the current Biden administration's unwavering public commitment to supporting Ukraine's sovereignty for "as long as it takes." It reveals the profound shift in US foreign policy that a second Trump term could bring, moving from steadfast support to pressuring a sovereign nation to surrender its territory.
The proposal has sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles, with experts warning that such an action would not only destroy Ukraine but also embolden other authoritarian regimes by demonstrating that military aggression pays.
Zelensky's Defiant Stance
President Zelensky has publicly and repeatedly rejected any notion of trading land for peace, a stance that enjoys overwhelming support from the Ukrainian people. Ceding territory is seen not as a compromise but as a fatal compromise of the nation's very existence and a betrayal of those who have died defending it.
This report underscores the high-stakes gamble facing Ukraine and its allies as the upcoming US presidential election looms, the outcome of which could single-handedly dictate the future of the conflict and the security architecture of Europe.
