In a highly anticipated meeting at the White House, the focus of the discussion between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky centered on a potential path to peace in the ongoing conflict with Russia, with the fate of Crimea emerging as a central point of contention.

Ahead of the meeting, President Trump had been vocal on his social media platform, stating that a resolution to the war would require Ukraine to abandon its ambition of reclaiming Crimea and its bid for NATO membership. He asserted that President Zelensky "can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to," and framed a peace agreement as a matter of Ukrainian choice.

For his part, President Zelensky arrived in Washington with a delegation of European leaders, emphasizing that a lasting peace must be a "dignified" one that respects Ukraine's territorial integrity. He has consistently maintained that the ceding of any Ukrainian land to Russia, including Crimea, is politically impossible due to the country's constitution and the will of its people.

The meeting took place after a separate summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which had raised concerns in Kyiv and across Europe about a potential peace deal that would favor Moscow. European leaders accompanying Zelensky were seen as a collective effort to stand with Ukraine and counter any pressure to accept unfavorable terms.

The discussions were described as high-stakes, as President Trump pushed for a rapid resolution to the conflict, while President Zelensky sought stronger security guarantees for Ukraine to deter future aggression. While the outcome did not result in a formal agreement, it underscored the significant divide between the two leaders' approaches to ending the war, with Crimea remaining a key obstacle to any potential peace settlement.