FT: Trump clashed with Zelensky in a heated exchange, demanding the handover of Donbas
According to the Financial Times, Donald Trump allegedly pressed Volodymyr Zelensky during a private White House meeting to concede control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region to Russia. The discussion reportedly turned heated, with raised voices and profanity, as Trump dismissed Zelensky’s objections and warned that Ukraine would face devastation if an agreement was not reached, News.Az reports.
Sources cited by Financial Times said Trump had spoken with Vladimir Putin two days prior. During that call, the Russian president had reportedly said Moscow would accept peace if granted full control of Donbas. Trump repeated this message to Zelensky, demanding he agree or face consequences.
“Putin said he would destroy Ukraine if you don’t agree,” Trump allegedly told Zelensky, according to one European official familiar with the meeting. Trump dismissed maps Zelensky had brought showing current frontlines and Ukrainian control in contested areas.
The confrontation took place on Friday during Zelensky’s visit to Washington. It was intended to secure advanced weapons, including Tomahawk cruise missiles. Trump rejected the request.
According to Axios, Trump told Zelensky he had no plans to approve the missile transfer. Zelensky later said in a press conference that the US claimed it needed the weapons itself. He called the topic “sensitive” and declined further comment.
Zelensky said he remained “realistic” about receiving the missiles. He later described Russia’s fear of such weaponry as “rational.”
Speaking to NBC News, Zelensky said he was still open to a direct meeting with Putin. He also proposed Budapest as a possible venue, hinting at potential involvement in future talks between Trump and Putin, who are expected to meet there.
Zelensky said he was ready for either bilateral or trilateral talks involving Russia and the US. He added that no peace agreement could be valid without Ukraine's participation.
Trump, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, confirmed his message to Zelensky. “It’s time to stop the killing and make a deal,” he wrote. He added that current military frontlines should become the new borders between the two nations.
“Property lines are defined by war and courage,” Trump wrote, urging both sides to claim victory and cease hostilities where they stand.
Ukraine’s constitution prohibits the cession of territory. Zelensky reiterated this in his remarks, noting that the law makes territorial concessions illegal. “Ukrainians will not gift land to an occupier,” he said in a speech he gave in August before a planned Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska.
The Ukrainian president confirmed he had contacted European leaders after the meeting with Trump. He held a joint call with leaders including Finnish President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Trump has changed his position on Ukrainian territorial integrity multiple times. Before his recent meeting with Putin, he suggested that territory swaps might be necessary. In September, he said Ukraine might be able to regain all of its lost areas. After the latest meeting, he appeared to support freezing the conflict in place.
Putin, according to the Washington Post, offered in his recent call with Trump to return Russian-held territory in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in exchange for full control of Donetsk. The Kremlin has not commented on the reported content of the call.
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