President Donald Trump said he believes his Ukrainian rival, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is ready to abandon his claims on Crimea as part of a ceasefire agreement to end the country's three-year war with Russia.
When asked if he believes the Ukrainian president is ready to ced the peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, Trump replied: "I think so." If Zelenskyy agrees, it will mark a major shift in Ukraine's abandonment of peaceful lands.
The effort to get Ukraine to at least stop the fight seems like a potentially critical week, and over the weekend, the Trump administration and Zelenskyy's optimistic comments were joined by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, saying the Kremlin is ready to start peace talks with Washington and Kerif.
Trump met with Zelenskyy of Vatican City on the brink of the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday. The president told reporters when he boarded Air Force One in New Jersey on Sunday that he believed a ceasefire agreement could be reached as he urged Putin to “stop shooting, sit down and sign the deal.”
"I believe we have a scope for a deal, and I want him to sign and finish it and then reborn," Trump added.
Zelenskyy was asked by reporters how the meeting was conducted, but refused to explain further. Zelenskyy noted that he also met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, who added that he wanted to "continue such meetings to bring peace to Ukraine."
Trump said his Ukrainian rival had a "calm" at the meeting, which likely refers to the public conflict between the two world leaders during the Ukrainian president's visit to the White House in February.
Zelenskyy has long insisted that Ukraine cannot give up its claims on Crimea. He did not immediately respond to Trump's remarks, but any default would mark a significant change in his position.
The Ukrainian president is under increasing pressure. On Friday, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, one of Ukraine's most prominent politicians, admitted that his country might have to give up Russian territory if his country wants to reach a peace agreement.
Although the Trump administration was accused of being more tolerant of the Kremlin during the ceasefire discussion, the tone of the U.S. president was added to Saturday’s meeting last week, adding his tone to comments last week, saying he was “very disappointed with Russian missiles flying, Russia’s flight” and suggesting that his perception of the war has changed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged Trump's comments in a briefing on Monday, but said Russia's "special operations continue" as he insisted that Moscow is ready to begin the negotiation process with Ukraine and Washington.
Even so, Ukrainian officials reported continued shelling overnight, including in the Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy areas and in Kherson City.
"The Russians talk about people they allegedly willing to accept American advice, but so far there is no sign that the Russian army is preparing for real silence."
North Korea confirmed for the first time separately on Monday that its troops were fighting with the Russians in Ukraine.
Peskov also claimed on Monday that Russia had recaptured Kursk with the help of Pyongyang soldiers, which also marked Russia's first recognition of war participation. Ukraine denied that Kursk had been recaptured, saying its defense operations continued in certain areas.
If Russia is confirmed to have retaken the region, it will cancel Ukraine's main bargaining chips in any ceasefire.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that he had “reasonable to be optimistic about the possibility of a deal”, but warned: “We are close, but we are not close enough.”
He said next week will be "very critical" for the White House because it wants to determine "whether this is an effort we want to continue to be involved."