Zelenskyy ahead of meeting Trump: ‘The US President has strength to force Russia into peace’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday said that the US President has the strength to force Russia to stop the ongoing war and bring peace in the region. The statement from Zelenskyy comes ahead of his meeting with President Trump at the White House on Monday.

Zelenskyy says Trump has strength to force Russia into peace

“Russia can only be forced into peace through strength, and President Trump has that strength,” he wrote on X.

Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy met the US Presidential Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, in Washington ahead of the meeting.

“I have already arrived in Washington, tomorrow I am meeting with President Trump. Tomorrow we are also speaking with European leaders. I am grateful to @POTUS for the invitation. We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting,” he said.

Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence

Zelenskyy said the Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence. And now the soldiers have successes in Donetsk and Sumy regions, he said.

“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. Or when Ukraine was given so called “security guarantees” in 1994, but they didn’t work. Of course, Crimea should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022. Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence. Now, our soldiers have successes in Donetsk and Sumy regions. I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner and ally for their support and invaluable assistance. Russia must end this war, which it itself started. And I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace. Thank you,” he said.

Zelenskyy brings European leaders to meet Trump

Ukraine’s future could hinge on a hastily assembled meeting Monday at the White House as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brings an extraordinary group of European leaders to show US President Donald Trump a united front against Russia.

The European leaders were left out of Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, and they want to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow. Many are coming with the explicit goal of protecting Ukraine’s interests — a rare and sweeping show of diplomatic force.

By coming as a group, they hope to avoid debacles like Zelenskyy’s February meeting in the Oval Office, where Trump chastised him for not showing enough gratitude for US military aid. Trump and Zelenskyy were due to meet in the Oval Office before European leaders join them in the East Room for talks.

The meetings are also a test of America’s relationship with its closest allies after the European Union and United Kingdom accepted Trump’s tariff hikes partly because they wanted his support on Ukraine.

“It’s important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, and therefore for all of Europe,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Trump seemed to put onus on Zelenskyy

The night before the meeting, however, Trump seemed to put the onus on Zelenskyy to agree to concessions and suggested that Ukraine could not regain Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, setting off an armed conflict that led to its broader 2022 invasion.

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote Sunday night on social media. “Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”