ZELENSKYY SAYS RUSSIA IS MAKING IT TOUGH TO END WAR BEFORE TRUMP TALKS
KYIV, Ukraine – August 17, 2025:Right before he’s set to meet with President Trump in Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia isn’t making it easy to end the war because they won’t agree to stop fighting. This all comes after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska but couldn’t strike any peace deal. The Ukrainian president’s comments that things aren’t going to be easy, especially since the war has already dragged on for four years.
Russia’s Position: No Ceasefire
Zelenskyy posted on X, Russia keeps turning down calls for a ceasefire and hasn’t said when they’ll stop the attacks. It totally messes things up. He thinks if Moscow isn’t willing to just halt things, it will be tough to achieve any peaceful solution with Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s talk comes after the Trump-Putin gathering that Ukraine didn’t join. Though Trump seemed to change his mind from wanting a ceasefire to a full peace deal, Russia is still doing military stuff and wants Ukrainian land, like the Donetsk and Luhansk areas, which are still big problems.
Meeting with President Trump
Zelenskyy is going to Washington to meet President Trump on Monday. He said he appreciates getting asked and that it’s key that everyone agrees that we need to talk things through at the top level to get clear on what steps we need to take and what will do the trick.
People in Kyiv are watching this meeting closely. Trump’s team recently floated this “non-NATO Article 5” security promise for Ukraine, which is basically vowing to help defend them without them actually being in NATO, and supposedly, Russia has talked about it.
Ukraine’s Peace Wishlist
Zelenskyy has always said that for peace to last, there has to be insurance that Ukraine will be safe and get back all its land and kids. He doesn’t agree with giving any land to Russia, saying it practically guarantees war later on. He’s also asked for a three-way discussion including the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia to directly have it out over a peace plan.
Other leaders seem to be on the same page, including the UK, France, and Germany, who have said that it’s Ukraine’s call on its land. You can’t change international borders by force.
While Trump and Putin said that their Alaska meeting was a step in the proper direction, no one actually concurred on any details. Trump suggesting Ukraine strike a deal and saying that Russia is powerful got a mixed response, so the meeting in Washington is seen as a big moment to make sure Ukraine gets heard as everyone attempts to end this standoff.
