Trump drops Ukraine ceasefire demand after Putin summit

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday dropped his push for a ceasefire in Ukraine in favor of pursuing a full peace accord, a major shift announced hours after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin yielded no clear breakthrough.

Before the high-stakes meeting in Alaska, securing an immediate cessation of hostilities had been a core demand of Trump and European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will now visit Washington on



Monday.

Ukraine and its European allies have long criticized Putin's demand for a full peace deal, saying Putin aims to buy time and press Russia's battlefield advances.

But, on his flight back to Washington after the Alaska summit, Trump told Zelenskyy and European leaders that to "go directly to a peace agreement" is the "best way" to end the Ukraine crisis. Ceasefire agreements "often times do not hold up," Trump added on his Truth Social platform.