Trump’s comments indicate a dramatic shift in his position on how to end the war, having said only on Friday ahead of the summit that he wanted a ceasefire “rapidly”.
Ukraine’s main demand has been a quick ceasefire before talks about a longer-term settlement, and Trump reportedly told European leaders beforehand that his goal for the summit was to obtain a ceasefire deal.
Meanwhile, Putin reportedly presented Trump a peace offer that would require Ukraine to withdraw from the Donetsk region of the Donbas, in return for Russia freezing the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, then launched a full-scale invasion of the country eight years later. It claims the Donbas as Russian territory and controls most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk.
The US president, who has previously said any peace deal would involve “some swapping of territories”, is said to have relayed the offer to Zelensky in the call following the summit.
Just days ago, Ukraine’s president ruled out ceding control of the Donbas – made up the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk – saying it could be used as a springboard for future Russian attacks.
The BBC’s US partner CBS has reported, citing diplomatic sources, that European diplomats were concerned Trump may try to pressure Zelensky on Monday into agreeing to deal terms he and Putin may have discussed at the summit.
CBS quotes sources as saying that Trump told European leaders in a call after the summit that Putin would make “some concessions”, but failed to specify what they were.
In an interview with Fox News following Friday’s summit, Trump was asked what advice he has for the Ukrainian leader, to which he responded by saying “make a deal”.
“Russia’s a very big power and they’re not,” he added.