Trump Urges Freeze, Even Ceding Donbas

President Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a tense Oval Office meeting to consider freezing the front line and even ceding parts of the Donbas to Russia, saying fighting should stop where lines stand and suggesting Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin could negotiate later after a long Trump–Putin call. Zelenskyy has pressed European partners for a unified response, vowed not to yield territory under pressure, and said he would attend a proposed Trump–Putin summit in Budapest if invited while criticizing Hungary’s Viktor Orbán as too Kremlin-friendly and favoring neutral venues such as Türkiye, Switzerland or the Vatican. European leaders pushed back against pressuring Kyiv, and the Kremlin said any Trump–Putin meeting is at an early stage with no confirmed format or participants and accused Kyiv of complicating the process. Brussels is reportedly exploring a politically fraught plan to admit prospective members such as Ukraine without immediate voting rights to sidestep Hungary’s veto, and European leaders will take up the fallout at an EU summit this week. NATO and EU officials coordinated statements reaffirming assistance and planned follow-up security consultations amid concerns that calls for an immediate pause could deepen divisions over a lasting settlement.