Trump asks Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms in heated White House meeting: Report

President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the United Nations General Assembly, in New York. (AP Photo/File)

US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms for ending the war during a tense White House meeting on Friday, warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin had threatened to “destroy” Ukraine if it did not comply, according to a Financial Times report.

Sources familiar with the matter described the meeting as a “shouting match,” with Trump reportedly “cursing all the time.” He disregarded maps of the frontline in Ukraine, insisted that Zelenskyy surrender the entire Donbas region to Putin, and repeatedly echoed talking points from Putin’s call the day before.

While Russian President Putin, in a recent phone conversation with Trump, demanded that Kyiv relinquish full control of Donetsk, a strategically significant area in eastern Ukraine, as a condition for ending the conflict, according to two senior officials, WSJ reports.

The region has resisted Russian advances for over a decade, with Ukrainian forces entrenched to prevent a swift Russian push westward toward Kyiv.

While Ukraine ultimately persuaded Trump to support a freeze of the current front lines, the confrontational meeting highlighted the unpredictable nature of Trump’s stance on the war and his willingness to entertain Putin’s maximalist demands.

The discussion came amid Trump’s renewed push to end Russia’s war, following the ceasefire recently brokered between Israel and Hamas.

(With agency inputs)