Trump urged Zelenskyy to accept Moscow's terms, otherwise Putin would "destroy" Ukraine - FT
Kyiv • UNN
On October 17, Donald Trump urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to agree to Moscow's terms to end the war, citing Putin's threats to "destroy" Ukraine. Trump insisted on handing over control of Donbas and reiterated the Kremlin's arguments.
At a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, October 17, White House chief Donald Trump urged Kyiv to agree to Moscow's terms to end the war. He also noted that Russian leader Vladimir Putin threatened to "destroy" Ukraine if it refused. This is reported by the publication Financial Times with reference to sources, reports UNN.
Details
According to sources, during Friday's meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders, tense disputes repeatedly arose, with Trump often using expletives.
According to the publication, the White House chief rejected maps with the front line and insisted that Zelenskyy hand over control of the entire Donbas to Putin. In addition, Trump repeated several times the arguments that the Kremlin chief voiced the day before during a phone call.
In particular, the American leader told the head of the Ukrainian state that he was losing the war and warned: "If (Putin - ed.) wants it, he will destroy you."
The publication confirmed that during a phone call on Thursday, Putin made a new proposal to Trump: Ukraine would have to hand over parts of the eastern Donbas, which it currently controls, to Russia in exchange for small territories in the south - in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
It is noted that this initiative is somewhat more moderate than the previous one, voiced by Putin during a meeting with Trump in August in Alaska. Then he proposed to "freeze" the front line in other regions if Kyiv agreed to give up Donbas.
Putin will not end the war without getting a part of Ukraine - Trump19.10.25, 17:10 • 17259 views
Trump's harsh rhetoric, which on Friday effectively repeated the Kremlin's position, dashed the hopes of Ukraine's European allies that they could persuade him to increase support for Kyiv.
According to three European officials familiar with the details of the White House meeting, Trump spent most of it lecturing Zelenskyy, repeating Putin's arguments, and urging him to accept Russian terms.
One of the officials said that after the talks, Zelenskyy was "extremely disappointed," and European leaders - although they had no great illusions - are preparing to act pragmatically, planning further steps.
Recall
On October 17, a bilateral meeting in the format of an official dinner with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump took place in the White House.
After this meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the issue of Ukrainian territories would be key in any format of peace negotiations with Russia. According to him, Moscow seeks to secure all captured lands, but Ukraine insists that there must first be a ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump evaded a direct answer to the question of whether Ukraine could regain all lost territories. He noted that "you never know what will happen," and that "today there is war, tomorrow there is peace." The White House chief also called on Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin to immediately stop the war on the front line, wherever it may be. He stressed that otherwise the situation would become too difficult to resolve.