During the meeting, Trump insisted that Zelensky hand over Donbass to Russia and repeatedly echoed arguments coming from Putin. This led to disappointment among Ukraine's European allies, who hoped that Trump could persuade the president to increase support for Kyiv, as reported by The Financial Times.
Although Trump ultimately agreed to a freeze on the front line, the meeting itself demonstrated his inconsistency on war issues and his willingness to accept Putin's maximalist demands.
The negotiations took place against the backdrop of Trump's new initiative to end the conflict, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Zelensky and his team hoped to convince Trump to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, but the American president declined this request.
The tense dialogue resembled a similar conversation in the White House in February, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance reproached Zelensky for "insufficient gratitude" towards the U.S.
According to sources, Trump almost verbatim repeated Putin's position, even in cases where it contradicted his own recent claims about Russia's weakness.
One European official reported that Trump told Zelensky that he needed to strike a deal or face the threat of destruction. Trump added: "If [Putin] wants it, he will destroy you."
At one point, the U.S. president set aside cards depicting the front line, which also underscored his dissatisfaction with the current situation.
Requests for comments from the White House and the office of the President of Ukraine went unanswered.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump expressed confidence that the conflict could be resolved, adding that Putin had already gained something by seizing certain territories.
Last week, Putin proposed to Trump that Ukraine relinquish control over parts of eastern Donbass in exchange for small parcels of two southern regions—Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
This proposal represents a small step back compared to the position Putin articulated during his last meeting with Trump in Alaska in August, when he said he would agree to freeze the front line if Ukraine surrendered Donbass.
That meeting also ended on a tense note: Putin rejected Trump's demand for an immediate ceasefire and discussed issues of Ukraine's history. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. began considering increasing support for Kyiv, including the supply of Tomahawk missiles.
However, for Kyiv, it is unacceptable to hand over the remaining part of Donbass to Russia, as this would mean surrendering territories that have been partially occupied for over ten years and have not been fully captured since Putin's invasion in 2022.
Russian troops are also facing difficulties in holding the proposed territories in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Since the beginning of the war in 2022, they have made little progress.
“Surrendering Donbass without a fight is absolutely unacceptable for Ukrainian society, and Putin understands this well,” noted Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Affairs.
He added that Putin might promote this idea to sow discord within Ukraine and undermine the unity of the country.
“This is not just a matter of new territories for Russia, but about destroying us from within,” emphasized Merezhko.
Trump's striking repetition of Putin's rhetoric on Friday undermined the hopes of many European allies of Ukraine that the U.S. would increase support for Kyiv.
These hopes were bolstered by Trump's recent complaints about Putin's unwillingness to engage in direct negotiations with Zelensky.
Three European officials familiar with the discussions in the White House confirmed that much of the meeting was devoted to lecturing Zelensky, where Trump reiterated Putin's arguments about the conflict and urged him to accept Russian proposals.
At the end of the meeting, Zelensky appeared dejected, while European leaders were more pragmatic than optimistic, planning further steps.
In a statement released on Sunday, Zelensky emphasized that decisive action from the U.S., Europe, and the G20 and G7 countries is necessary to end the war.
