Zelenskyy Willing to Quit for Peace in Ukraine, Europe to Ask Trump for US Troops as a 'Backstop'
Russia marked the third anniversary of its war with Ukraine by launching its biggest-ever drone strike on Kyiv over the weekend.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also taken heavy fire from the White House, with President Trump calling him a "dictator" and blaming him for Russia's invasion.
Zelenskyy told reporters he would step down if it stopped the fighting. He also said he'd give up the presidency if it meant Ukraine could join NATO.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) condemned what he called President Trump's alignment with Russia. "This is just someone who admires Putin, does not believe in the struggle of the Ukrainians and is committed to cozying up to an autocrat," Reed told ABC.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended President Trump's stance, telling Fox News Sunday, "The reality is the president is focused on one thing and one thing only, and that's stopping the killing and the destruction across Ukraine and ensuring an enduring peace. So, standing here and saying, 'You're good, You're bad. You're a dictator. You're not a dictator. You invaded. You didn't.' It's not useful. It's not productive."
PHOTO: A serviceman mourns at the Memorial Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in Russian-Ukrainian War in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)
Meanwhile, a dozen leaders from Europe and Canada are visiting Ukraine's capital on the war's third anniversary to show their support to Zelenskyy.
Here at home, the White House is continuing to take the axe to the federal government, this time at the Pentagon, dismissing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General C.Q. Brown Jr. He also fired the Navy's top officer, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and six three and four-star generals.
Trump wants to replace Brown with Air Force Lieutenant General Dan "Razin" Caine.
Hegseth defended the move, saying, "The president deserves to pick his key national security and military advisory team. There are lots of presidents who've made changes from FDR to Eisenhower, H.W. Bush to Barack Obama who fired or dismissed hundreds of militaries during his term."
When the French and British leaders visit the White House this week, they'll be pitching a peace plan for Ukraine that would call for 300,000 peacekeepers, with U.S. troops providing a backstop.
In previous comments, Trump has opposed any U.S. military involvement.
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