President Donald Trump’s cushy treatment of Russian President Vladimir Putin went beyond rolling out a red carpet for the Russian president.
Trump left Alaska on Friday with no ceasefire agreement, no concessions, and having gifted priceless PR to an adversary engaged in war with a U.S. ally. Now, sources tell Axios that Trump’s path forward is in line with that of the Kremlin.
Trump reportedly told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday that he is no longer pushing for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, which was among his stated goals entering the summit.
Trump is instead calling for a peace agreement without a ceasefire. That puts him in lockstep with Putin and at odds with Zelensky, who has been adamant that a pause in hostilities is necessary before a peace agreement can be reached.
Zelensky and NATO leaders were informed of Trump’s change of heart in a “difficult” phone call the president made from Air Force One on his way back from Alaska, a source told Axios. Trump reportedly spoke for an hour with Zelensky before European leaders joined the call, which went on for an additional 30 minutes.
“Trump said on the call that he thinks a fast peace deal is better than a ceasefire,” the source said.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment regarding the call.
Trump was described as appearing “defeated” by the end of his meeting with Putin, which began with much enthusiasm from the president. Shortly after the 79-year-old struggled to walk straight, he applauded Putin, shook his hand, and shared laughs with the leader before welcoming him in the “Beast,” the high-tech presidential limo.
The president’s demeanor was noticeably different after he met with Putin. The leaders appeared before cameras for what was billed as a “press conference,” but no questions were answered—something that even rubbed Fox News the wrong way.
Trump played up the meeting as a “success” but has not provided details that back up his claim.
“We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left,” Trump said. “We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there.”
That—more or less—is how Trump has described the situation between Russia and Ukraine since his first weeks in office. Despite guaranteeing to end the war on day one of his presidency, he has discovered that, not surprisingly, Putin wishes to keep the land in Eastern Ukraine that his troops occupy. Zelensky has said he is not willing to cede Ukrainian land to end the war.
Axios’ source summarized Putin’s thoughts on the situation, as told by Trump to Zelensky: “The impression was that in return for territory, Putin is willing to end the war and commit not to try and occupy more areas in Ukraine and to not attack other countries.”
Trump told Fox News on Friday that a deal for peace is not in his hands, but that it is instead “up to President Zelensky to get it done.”
Zelensky will travel to meet with Trump in the White House on Monday, six months after his last visit, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance chastised him in an Oval Office ambush that famously went off the rails.
At least publicly, Trump remains confident that peace will soon be reached.
“President Zelensky will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday morning. “If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved.”
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