President Donald Trump revealed new details Tuesday morning about his White House peace summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and key European leaders, describing his push to fast-track direct negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
In an interview on Fox & Friends, Trump outlined his strategy of putting Ukrainian and Russian leadership face-to-face in hopes of accelerating a breakthrough. He said he arranged a bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, while reserving a follow-up session for himself if progress is made.
“They haven’t been exactly best friends,” Trump said of Putin and Zelenskyy. “But it only matters if we get things done. It takes, in this case, two to tango.”
The former rivals’ meeting is central to a peace framework that avoids NATO membership for Ukraine while leaning heavily on European nations for future security guarantees. Trump emphasized that countries such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom had signaled willingness to “front-load” security efforts and even commit troops if needed, an approach he said was preferable to US boots on the ground.
“You have my assurance, and I’m President,” Trump said. “I’m just trying to stop people from being killed.”
Trump recounted an exchange with a European leader at the summit who suggested waiting “a month or two” before starting talks. Trump said he rejected the idea immediately, warning that tens of thousands of lives could be lost in that time. “You have to do it TONIGHT,” he said, adding that he phoned Putin on the spot to press forward with talks.
While acknowledging “tremendous bad blood” between Moscow and Kyiv, Trump said he was surprised at signs of improved relations between Putin and Zelenskyy. He argued that if they can make progress, a trilateral meeting involving himself could follow quickly.
The president also stressed that European nations, not the United States, must carry the weight of long-term security guarantees in the region. “They want to get back to leading their countries. They’re consumed with this far more than we are,” Trump said.
Still, he cast the summit as proof of renewed American leadership. “A year ago, they wouldn’t have come. Now, we’ve become the hottest country anywhere in the world. Everybody wants to be here.”
The White House billed the summit as the most serious step yet toward a resolution of the war since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
The push for peace traces back to Alaska, where Trump held preliminary talks with Putin in Anchorage on Friday. The meeting showed the world Alaska’s unique role as America’s front line with Russia, separated by just 55 miles across the Bering Strait, and highlighted the state’s strategic importance as a natural venue for US-Russian diplomacy. From that opening round, Trump built the momentum that carried into Washington for the broader summit with Zelenskyy and European leaders.
Good on Trump to try but if peace means capitulation to a murderous dictator, what price will Ukraine pay exactly? It’s pretty clear that Putin wants to re-create the old Russian empire, and that includes ownership of Ukraine. He will be happy with nothing less.
Agreed. Zelenskyy should not give in to Putin, or any piece of Ukrainian land and Putin will only agree when he gets what he wants. Kudos to Trump but round and round we go. All we’ve learned so far is that Putin will invade any country he thinks belongs to Russia.
That photo alone should be enough for the Nobel Committee to select the next Peace Prize winner.
Wait wait wait, I thought that Trump was going get a cease fire at the Alaska summit, or else there would be “very severe consequences”. But that didn’t happen and the killing keeps going.
Trump is constantly outmaneuvered by Putin and has been utterly ineffective in stopping this war. Trump is a pathetic and weak leader.
And, you expected the consequences to be immediate?
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Tell us all you are clueless about international affairs without actually saying you are clueless about international affairs. No.. don’t bother, you just did.
Unlike yourself Northman ….. admirable & strong.
Ukraine should be in NATO. The Ukrainians have shown massive courage and ability fighting off the Russian invasion. 950,000 dead or wounded Russians is more than any NATO country has ever accomplished fighting off an aggressor. Recall it was France that rolled over and wet itself in its appeasement of the invasion of Hitler. We need strong, tough NATO members that know how to fight. Ukraine, without a navy, has destroyed the Russian black sea fleet. And Ukraine has taken out about a third of the Russian strategic bombers. Incredible. Smart, tough, innovations by Ukraine have changed conventional military strategy.
Communist Putin needs the war to continue. He has to distract the Russian public from what a thieving imbecile he is. Otherwise Pootin will be found hanging from a lamppost like Mussolini. (We can only hope.)
Trump made a good start by meeting with the Russian delegation, and opening a direct dialogue. This war is one of many ongoing didasterous consequences of our decades old foreign policy of gaining global hegemony.
Our military is deployed everywhere across the globe costing a trillion a year, plus hundreds of billions more for the State Department/NGO/CIA overseas operations of regime changes, exploiting internal ethnic
and political issues in foreign countries to install subservient governments.
The klepotcratic EU/NATO structure relies on massive US and matching Euro spending into slush funds to retain control of Europe, as does our MIC spending for our klepotcrat governance class at home.
All the talk of Euro countries spending more for their defense from Russia is nonesense. We and Europe created the largest army in Europe to regime change Russia into a compliant for exploitation state. Creating a crisis.
The war is lost, Russia is stronger than ever, and desires a normalized peaceful structure with trade.
Europe and the interests here at home represented by General Kellogs’ thinking are panicked over the loss of slush funds to loot if there is a structured peace/security arrangement.
Therefore to be successful and live up to what Trump promised America, he needs to end our war with Russia. If Europe wants to continue, leave it to them. But end NATO, bring our military, NGOs and CIA home.
The regime in Kiev will collapse and the Ukrainians will choose their path forward. Neutrality will be the best, and inevitable, between the decaying west and resurgent east.
In WW 2, we had Tokyo Rose to broadcast propaganda for the Japanese. In Europe there was Axis Sally to spread Nazi gospel. Today, we have “Brian” to broadcast Communist Putin’s vile propaganda.
At least he got everyone to forget about the Epstein list …
Are you so overcome with TDS to even acknowledge this small win? Do you abhor the President so much?
Ah, if only it were a victory. Face it, Trump got his rear handed to him by Putin. The Russians walked away with increased world status and a lot of great video for their propaganda machine. Trump walked away with nothing and looks all the weaker for it.
I wanted him to succeed. I was actually getting excited when Trump said he was going to get a cease fire or there would be “very severe consequences”. For a moment, I actually did believe in Trump and that he would be successful. Guess that makes me the fool.
How, exactly did Trump get his backside handed to him by Putin?
Please, explain. And, no… Russia did not get increased world status. Perhaps you missed it, but pretty much most of the world leaders abhor Trump. Being seen in a video with Trump is the opposite of increasing your world wide standing.
Explain this to me.
Per the leftists, of which you are a member, President Trump is a dictator wannabe with kingship intentions. He is a disaster, and universally abhorred across the globe. Everything he touches is destroyed in some manner.
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But, the Russian President appearing along side Trump increases Russia’s world status? How does appearing next to the most despised person in the world (per you leftists) increase one’s standing in the world?
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You cannot have it both ways. Either Trump is toxic, or he is a way to improve your status. Cannot be both. Chose one.
Your right the President shouldn’t even try,
We should leave NATO & throw the UN out of NYC
You know who else got increased “status” from this …… liberals (unfortunately)
It will make a comeback.
Suzanne you have been invaded by left wingers.
Except you evidently.
Not everyone is interested in old, jailed & dead perverts.
Let’s move on now Steve, maybe you can refocus on Diddy another rich perv who will walk.
FINALLY(!!!) … We have a strong – poised leader in Trump to exercise “Logic, Reason, and Common Sense” in the presence of EU & Nato leadership. Remember, never forget, under Biden he was a complete embarrassment who was aimlessly lost, slipping – tripping over his own steps, falling offstage, falling asleep in conference meetings, chasing butterflies – unicorns, and uncontrollably soiling himself on a daily basis.
NOW(!!!), truly a remarkable difference of epic proportions that we can be proud of with Trump and his very competent Team at the helm!
The chatter from the left is really pathetic on this issue, they are ignoring reality yet again, all while wishing for WWIII and global nuclear armageddon.
Who is that on the far left it looks like she is sitting on a thorn.
Unfortunately Europe is getting a lesson in being pacifist. Let’s hope the lesson stops with that and not a mighty China / Russian march across their countries. All those European boys in skinny pants wouldn’t know a bullet from a bolt. The situation in Europe is actually scary at the moment. Every country but Norway is broke. All those social programs work great until you run out of other peoples money.
A picture of power.
The first thing that came to mind when I saw this photo was The Seven Dwarfs! Bankrupt economies, pip squeak militaries and they want to dictate terms to Trump? Hilarious!