President Trump urges Ukraine to accept peace deal amid rising tensions

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must be willing to negotiate a settlement to end the war with Russia, warning that a failure to do so could have serious consequences. Trump referenced a February 2025 Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy, saying the Ukrainian leader could have secured a "better deal" and that "he’s going to have to want to make a deal, because I don’t think his people are going to stand for it any longer."

Zelenskyy met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and European leaders in Oslo to discuss peace options, later posting on social media that Ukraine has "some clear ideas on how to get to peace" and urging American partners to convey these ideas to Moscow. He added that Witkoff would travel to Russia the following day to continue discussions, stating, "Let’s see what Putin has to say."

When asked about the prospect of a direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said there was "tremendous" animosity between the two and that "it’s hard for them to be in the same room," adding, "I don’t care how it’s done."

The remarks coincided with reports that Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system, has been slowed. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a Trump ally, said the limitations are set by the U.S. government and the president, while Reuters cited White House officials as the source of the order. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk himself may have imposed the slowdown, a claim denied by Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who placed responsibility on SpaceX.

In parallel, Trump has pursued a thaw in U.S.-Russia relations, having invited President Vladimir Putin to Alaska in August 2025 and expressing openness to a trilateral meeting with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on denuclearisation. He also announced a diesel supply deal with Russia and waived new sanctions under the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, a decision defended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a national-security waiver aimed at balancing global economic impacts.