Zelenskyy to Trump: ‘No compromises with a killer’ on Putin

Shift in US approach to Ukraine war

Zelenskyy, who gained billions of dollars’ worth of US weaponry and moral support from the Biden administration for its fight against Russia, is facing a sharply different attitude from Trump. The US president wants to quickly wind down the three-year war, improve ties with Russia, and recoup money spent to support Ukraine.

Trump welcomed Zelenskyy on his arrival at the White House before they headed for talks, lunch, and then a joint press conference where they were to sign the agreement.

“I hope I’m going to be remembered as a peacemaker,” Trump said, according to Reuters. He told Zelenskyy that his soldiers have been unbelievably brave and that the United States wants to see an end to the fighting and the money put to “different kinds of use like rebuilding.”

Diplomatic stakes for Kyiv

The Washington talks are a diplomatic boost for Zelenskyy, who has repeatedly spoken of the importance of meeting Trump in person before the US president holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Ukrainians have been quite savvy at turning it round, and using this (the minerals deal) as an opening to engage the US,” said a senior Kyiv-based European diplomat, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, Reuters reported.

Kyiv hopes the agreement will spur Trump to back Ukraine’s war effort and potentially even win support from Republicans in Congress for a new round of aid.

Economic ties over security guarantees

Trump has adopted a much less committed stance toward European security, a shift that has sent shockwaves across Europe and triggered fears in Kyiv and among its allies that it could be forced into a peace deal that favors Russia.

The agreement negotiated in recent days would open up Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth to the United States but does not include explicit American security guarantees for Ukraine, a disappointment for Kyiv.

Trump says the presence of Americans in business would serve as a form of guarantee. How much the deal would be worth to the United States is not specified. Trump has said he expects to gain hundreds of billions of dollars.

Zelenskyy has said he would not sign an agreement that would put his country in debt for generations, Reuters reported.

Public rift

Trump has engaged in a long-distance feud with Zelenskyy in recent weeks, criticizing his handling of the war, calling him a “dictator,” and urging him to agree to the minerals deal. But asked about the dictator comment during a joint news conference with visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, Trump said, “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that.”

Starmer said he and Trump had discussed a plan to reach a peace that is “tough and fair, that Ukraine will help shape, that is backed by strength to stop Putin coming back for more.” He added that Britain was prepared to contribute military personnel to serve as peacekeepers “because that is the only way that peace will last.”

(With inputs from Reuters)