Washington, D.C. — Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European officials met with President Trump at the White House to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war.
Robert Benson, associate director for National Security and International Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement in response:
President Trump continues to let Russia off the hook while Ukraine bears the cost, and he refuses to press the Kremlin for a ceasefire.
Since Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, Russian strikes have continued to kill Ukrainian civilians. But today in Washington, Trump met with President Zelenskyy and European leaders, where he echoed Putin’s maximalist demands. European leaders pushed back, insisting that a ceasefire must come before territorial talks, that Ukraine cannot be forced to surrender unoccupied land, and that binding security guarantees are essential to deter future Russian attacks.
If Ukraine were to cede additional territory, as Trump reportedly urges, Kyiv would lose its defensive positions in the Donbas and be left dangerously exposed to renewed aggression. The president must stand with our European allies, press Russia for a ceasefire now, and commit to real security guarantees for Ukraine.
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