Trump piles pressure on Zelenskyy as European leaders arrive at White House

US president tells Ukraine leader to give up Nato and Crimea ambitions in run-up to White House talks

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives at the White House ahead of US president Donald Trump and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy's meeting. Picture: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Donald Trump has put pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy before talks in Washington with European leaders on Monday, saying the Ukrainian leader could end the war “almost immediately” if he wanted to. The US president also ruled out allowing Ukraine to join Nato or retake Russian-occupied Crimea as part of negotiations with Moscow.

Mr Trump posted the remarks on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, hours before he was due to meet the leaders of Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the EU and Nato at the Oval Office, amid fears the US president could try to pressure Kyiv into accepting a settlement favourable to Moscow.