Having failed to obtain it, Trump renounces a ceasefire in Ukraine

The American president will receive his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House on Monday afternoon, with European leaders assuring that they want to "maintain pressure on Moscow."

This abandonment of the previous ceasefire seems to favor Vladimir Putin, who has long defended the idea of directly negotiating a comprehensive and definitive agreement, while kyiv and its European allies see it as a way for him to gain time to continue his military offensive and extend his territorial gains.

Yet this path is " the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine ," Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social network. "A simple ceasefire agreement (...) often doesn't hold," he justified, having nevertheless threatened Moscow with "very serious consequences" if hostilities do not cease.

" The sad reality is that Russia has no intention of ending this war anytime soon ," said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

The Kremlin's leader, for his part, declared on Saturday that his meeting with Donald Trump in Anchorage was "very useful " in working towards a resolution of the conflict " on a fair basis ," more than three and a half years after the Russian army invaded Ukraine.

Tribune for Putin

The Anchorage summit, which was supposed to be crucial for European stability, allowed Vladimir Putin to make a spectacular return to the diplomatic scene, without leading to the announcement of an upcoming tripartite meeting including Mr. Zelensky, nor to a pause in hostilities, nor to new sanctions targeting Russia.

The meeting, which lasted more than three hours and was described as "successful " by Donald Trump, triggered diplomatic excitement in Europe, which was the main target but was largely absent in Alaska.

The leaders of the Old Continent have affirmed their readiness to facilitate a summit between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The latter said he was " grateful for the invitation " to the White House, six months after being very abruptly reprimanded by Donald Trump in the Oval Office, a scene broadcast live that plunged many European countries into dismay.

" If everything goes well (during this new bilateral meeting), we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin ," Donald Trump assured on Saturday, suggesting a tripartite summit.

During his return flight from Anchorage, the American president met with his Ukrainian counterpart, as well as with NATO leaders.

Attendees included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

During these calls, Donald Trump spoke of a security guarantee for kyiv similar to that of NATO's Article 5, but outside the framework of the Atlantic Alliance.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni indicated that the first step would be to define "a collective security clause that would allow Ukraine to obtain the support of all its partners, including the United States, ready to act in the event of it being attacked again."

According to the New York Times, citing two European officials, Donald Trump has also declared himself in favor of a proposal from Vladimir Putin that kyiv cede more territory under its control in exchange for peace.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned against Russia's " propensity " to "not keep its own commitments ," while Mr. Starmer said that " the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without " Mr. Zelensky.

Mr. Macron, Mr. Starmer, and Mr. Merz called a meeting on Sunday with the countries of the "coalition of the willing," allied with kyiv.

The war continues

In Russia, the Alaska summit was generally well received. Meeting with Vitali Romanov, a museum employee who met just outside the Kremlin, he said it raised " hope that things will get better, for Russia, for the people, and for the people fighting " on the front lines.

Ukrainians, on the other hand, seemed to have no illusions, such as Laryssa Melny, a pharmacist from Kiev, who believes that there will be " no peace " soon.

" I think this is a great diplomatic victory for Putin ," says Pavlo Nebroev, director of a theater in Kharkiv.

The Russian army launched 85 drones and a missile on Ukraine during the night, kyiv said, claiming to have shot down 61 of them in the regions of Sumy (northeast), Donetsk (east), Chernihiv (north) and Dnipropetrovsk (central-east).

Meanwhile, Kremlin forces claimed responsibility for capturing two towns in eastern Ukraine.