Donald Trump reportedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms to end the two-year war during a tense White House meeting on Friday. The encounter, described by sources as a ‘screaming match’, saw Trump throw aside maps of Ukraine’s frontline and insist that Kyiv surrender the entire Donbas region to Russia.
According to the Financial Times, Trump told Zelensky that Putin views the conflict as a ‘special operation, not even a war’ and warned that the Russian leader ‘will destroy you’ if Ukraine did not concede. The meeting echoed a similarly confrontational Oval Office exchange in February, when Trump and Vice-President JD Vance berated Zelensky.
Trump also refused Ukraine’s request for Tomahawk missiles, stating he wanted to resolve the war ‘without thinking about Tomahawks’. In response, Zelensky proposed a mutual production deal exchanging US missiles for Ukrainian drones. Trump hinted at a potential peace summit hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, bringing together Zelensky and Putin.
Following the talks, Trump posted on Truth Social calling for both sides to ‘stop where they are’ and end the war, saying ‘enough blood has been shed’. Zelensky later said it was time for a ceasefire and negotiations, but sidestepped questions about conceding territory.
