Evening Briefing Europe

Trump’s Demands Leave Zelenskiy With an Impossible Dilemma

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US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac after they arrived at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.

Photographer: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy finds himself in an impossible bind as he arrived today in Washington. He risks US President Donald Trump’s wrath if he doesn’t accept a quick deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine by paying the disastrous price of ceding territory for vague security guarantees. This outcome could see Moscow come back stronger in a few years’ time.

Trump is hosting Zelenskiy and several European leaders to set out terms for a potential peace deal he discussed with Putin at a summit in Alaska that skirted a ceasefire.