From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 18, 2025
Zelensky says Russia shouldn’t be ‘rewarded’ for invasion, ahead of talks with Trump
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WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says ahead of talks with Donald Trump today that Russia should not be “rewarded” for its invasion, after the US leader pressed Ukraine to make concessions in exchange for peace.
The talks, in which European leaders will also take part, follow a Friday summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska that failed to produce a ceasefire in the nearly three-and-a-half-year war.
Trump, who dropped his insistence on a ceasefire in favor of a final peace deal after meeting Putin, said Sunday that Zelensky could end the war “almost immediately, if he wants to” but that, for Ukraine, there was “no getting back” Crimea and “NO GOING INTO NATO.”
Kyiv and European leaders have warned against making political and territorial concessions to Russia, whose assault on Ukraine since February 2022 has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
“Russia should not be rewarded for its participation in this war…. And it is Moscow that must hear the word: Stop,” Zelensky says in a Facebook post.
Trump and Zelensky are expected to meet one-on-one before being joined by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland, as well as NATO chief Mark Rutte and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, according to the White House.
The European leaders will also hold a preparatory meeting with Zelensky ahead of talks with Trump, the European Union says.
The Times of Israel Community.