Reuters: Zelensky Fought Back Against Trump
63- 20.10.2025, 12:11
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New details on the White House negotiations.
U.S. President Donald Trump during a "tense" meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on October 17 pushed him to make concessions in favor of Russia and pondered providing security guarantees to both Kiev and Moscow. However, the Ukrainian president rebuffed the White House chief.
This is according to Reuters, which cites anonymous sources familiar with the talks.
After his meeting with Zelensky, Trump publicly called for a ceasefire on the current front lines. According to the publication's sources, he made the proposal after Zelensky said he would not voluntarily cede any territory to Moscow.
"The meeting ended with Trump's decision to make an agreement where we are, on the border lines," the source said.
"It was pretty bad. The message was: your country will freeze and your country will be destroyed if Ukraine doesn't make an agreement with Russia," one source said of the meeting.
Another source denied that Trump said Ukraine would be "destroyed." However, both sources said Trump used profanity several times.
The agency suggests that Trump was influenced by a phone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on Oct. 16, after which U.S. officials suggested that Ukraine should give Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Russia in exchange for small parts of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson.