Trump says ‘best way’ to end Ukraine war is to ‘go directly’ to peace deal, ruling out immediate cease-fire

"Russian strongman Vladimir Putin reportedly proposed freezing the fighting on the front lines in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in return for Ukraine pulling its troops out of the Russian-occupied Donetsk area, a source familiar with the bilateral discussions between President Trump and his Russian counterpart said.

That demand, the source added, is likely to be rejected by Kyiv.
U.S. officials got the impression from Putin, according to the source, that the Russian ruler is willing to consider negotiations regarding the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
Putin reportedly requested during talks with Trump, that the U.S. recognize those four regions – in addition to the Crimean Peninsula – as part of Russia. Trump later told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call that Putin said Moscow was making significant progress on the front lines of the war and could capture the entire Donetsk region, and other areas, if he wanted to, Axios reported.
Zelensky is scheduled fly to Washington, DC, on Monday to meet with Trump.
European Union President Ursula von der Leyen thanked President Trump on Saturday morning after speaking with him following his Alaskan summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
President Trump has committed in principle to providing “security guarantees” to Ukraine to safeguard its frontier from Russia following a possible peace deal, The Post has confirmed.
The precise contours of those security guarantees, which were discussed by Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage on Friday, remain unclear, however. Trump has not committed to sending U.S. troops and previously ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine.
The security may amount to a European-led initiative with America’s support, a source familiar with the talks said.
President Trump said the "best way" to end the war between Ukraine and Russia is to "go directly to a peace agreement," ruling out an immediate cease-fire.
"It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Cease-fire Agreement, which often times do not hold up," Trump wrote on Truth Social." 

NYP