The Trump 3 NOs to Zelensky?

Despite the positive atmosphere that prevailed at the trilateral summit at the White House on Monday, and European and Ukrainian welcome for US President Donald Trump’s positions, his fundamental positions haven’t changed significantly.

During his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite the exchange of smiles, Trump remained committed to three main positions: his refusal to return Crimea to Ukraine, his refusal to support Kyiv’s accession to NATO, and his refusal to deploy US troops on Ukrainian soil.

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his refusal to send US troops abroad, stressing that he wouldn’t allow such deployments during his presidency.

This is a position he has previously taken regarding Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Despite this refusal, Trump pledged to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, while European leaders held a virtual meeting to discuss this issue, which Paris and Berlin described as essential for the Ukrainians.

From the beginning of his first term, Trump called for reducing the US military presence abroad, but later backed down on advice from military leaders.

He places great importance on protecting the lives of US soldiers, even if it conflicts with maintaining international alliances.

In a related development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that territorial swaps have always been a possible solution to international conflicts, hinting at the possibility of reaching an agreement with Ukraine if it relinquishes territories annexed by Russia since 2022.

Russia has imposed its control over large areas in eastern Ukraine, most notably Lugansk and Donetsk, in addition to parts of Zaporizhia and Kherson.

During a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart in Alaska, Putin expressed his willingness to make peace provided Ukraine relinquishes the Donbas region, which includes Donetsk and Lugansk.

Although Zelensky had previously emphasized his refusal to cede any part of his country’s territory, he recently appeared more flexible, indicating that the issue hadn’t been discussed at the White House but would be a focus of the upcoming meeting with Putin.