Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he pressed Donald Trump to toughen sanctions on Russia if Moscow refuses to engage in genuine peace talks or blocks a proposed trilateral summit. “In my conversation with President Trump, I said that sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war. Sanctions are an effective tool,” Zelensky said. He also insisted that “all issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine’s participation, and no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine”.
The Ukrainian leader called for an immediate ceasefire on the ground and in the air, the release of prisoners of war, and the return of children taken by Russia.“Killings must stop as soon as possible, the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky, as well as against our port infrastructure,” he said, adding that “all Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be released, and the children abducted by Russia must be returned”. Zelensky underlined that security guarantees must be “reliable and long term, with the involvement of both Europe and the US.”
US President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin at an air base in Alaska, but the three-hour talks failed to produce a ceasefire. Trump said instead he would now pursue a broader peace agreement that includes Ukraine. “A great and very successful day in Alaska!” Trump wrote afterwards, saying European leaders backed his proposal for a three-way meeting with Putin and Zelensky.
European leaders, who had feared being sidelined by the Alaska summit, later held their own discussions and said they supported the idea of a trilateral summit. “We are also ready to work with President Trump and President Zelensky towards a trilateral summit with European support,” they said in a joint statement.
They also vowed to keep pressure on Moscow, “As long as the killing in Ukraine continues, we stand ready to uphold the pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy until there is a just and lasting peace.”
Zelensky is set to travel to Washington on Monday for further talks after Trump briefed him on the Alaska meeting. European leaders including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO chief Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen joined Trump and Zelensky on a post-summitcall.
Source: Wionews
