Trump has stepped up pressure on Zelensky ahead of Aug. 18 peace talks in Washington with European leaders, saying on Truth Social that the Ukrainian president could end the war „almost immediately“ if he chose to or he could „continue to fight“ while making it clear that Ukraine would not be permitted to join NATO or reclaim Crimea from Russian control as part of any potential deal with Moscow.

Zelensky meanwhile cautioned that any new deal must prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from using concessions as a „springboard“ for another attack, citing Russia‘s seizure of Crimea in 2014.