If Ukraine Wants a Ceasefire, It Must Give Up Crimea and NATO Ambitions: Trump

Darwin, August 19 – U.S. President Donald Trump has given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky two conditions to end the war: Ukraine must recognize Crimea as Russian territory, and it must pledge never to join NATO.

On Monday, Zelensky arrived in Washington, D.C. to discuss this proposal. Citing White House sources, U.S. media outlet CNN reported that Trump will first hold a one-on-one meeting with Zelensky, followed by talks with leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union, and NATO. European leaders are joining mainly to show their support and solidarity with Ukraine.

After his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last Friday, Trump emphasized pursuing a permanent peace deal rather than just a ceasefire. Speaking to White House reporters, he said:
“To end the war, Zelensky must formally recognize the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea as Russian territory and commit never to apply for NATO membership.”

Ahead of his Washington visit, Zelensky thanked Trump on social media for organizing the talks, writing: “Russia can only be forced into peace through strength. And President Trump has that strength.”

Zelensky further said Ukraine is prepared to make every effort to end the war and secure reliable security guarantees:
“We must do everything the right way so that true peace can be achieved. When peace is spoken of for one European country, it becomes a symbol of peace for all of Europe.”

Meanwhile, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that during Trump’s meeting with Putin, both leaders agreed on providing Ukraine with strong security guarantees. They even discussed possible concessions such as “land swaps” as part of a future peace agreement.