Ukraine peace push moves to Washington amid disputes over NATO, Crimea

August 18, 2025 (MLN): In a major policy signal, U.S. President Donald Trump ruled out Ukraine’s NATO membership and the reversal of Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington on Monday for high-stakes talks aimed at ending the war, first meeting Trump one-on-one before a broader session with European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO chief Mark Rutte and the heads of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Finlan

The discussions come on the heels of Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, which ended without a ceasefire but yielded pledges from both sides to pursue “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine.

Trump later emphasized that Ukraine’s entry into NATO was off the table and reiterated that Crimea would remain with Russia.

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,”

Trump wrote on his social media platform. “No going into NATO by Ukraine. Some things never change!”

The Washington meeting comes after months of friction between Trump and Zelensky.

Their last Oval Office encounter in February erupted into a public row when Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian president of being “ungrateful.”

Despite the tensions, Zelensky expressed optimism late Sunday, saying, “We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably.” In Brussels earlier, he described U.S. security guarantees as “historic” and said he was eager to learn more about Trump and Putin’s Alaska discussions.

Trump has indicated that a NATO-style collective defense commitment for Ukraine could be considered but outside of the alliance framework.

French President Emmanuel Macron said European leaders would press Washington on the scale of its commitment to such guarantees.

According to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, Moscow has hinted at “some concessions” over the five Ukrainian regions under its control or partial occupation, noting that details on Donetsk would be a key focus of Monday’s talks.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and formally claimed Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in 2022, despite not fully controlling the latter regions.

A source told AFP that Trump appeared “inclined to support” Russian demands for territory in the Donbas in exchange for freezing the front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia an approach that has alarmed some European capitals.

“For peace to prevail, pressure must be applied to the aggressor, not the victim,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned. Macron echoed this, saying: “There is only one state proposing a peace that amounts to capitulation: Russia.”

Zelensky has remained firm in rejecting territorial concessions but has said he is open to discussing the matter at a potential trilateral summit with Trump and Putin. Trump has floated the idea, though Moscow has dismissed the prospect for now.

Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to make incremental gains in Ukraine’s east, particularly in Donetsk. Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian strikes on Kharkiv killed three people and injured dozens more on Monday, while an overnight attack on Sumy wounded two others.

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