Trump calls for Ukraine to be 'cut up' after tense meeting with Zelenskyy

U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled a displacement successful enactment toward Russia's Vladimir Putin arsenic helium looks for a speedy extremity to the warfare successful Ukraine, apt striking fearfulness into Ukrainian officials.

Trump held a tense gathering with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy astatine the White House connected Friday, with the imaginable proviso of U.S. long-range cruise missiles, Tomahawks, connected the agenda.

Zelenskyy walked distant from the gathering not lone empty-handed, but seemingly upbraided by Trump, who said Ukraine judge Russia's presumption for ending the warfare — by handing implicit the full eastbound territory of Donbas, the epicenter of ongoing warring successful Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters this weekend, Trump said for Donbas to beryllium "cut the mode it is."

"It's chopped up close now, I deliberation 78% of the onshore is already taken by Russia," helium said connected Air Force One connected Sunday. "They should halt close present astatine the conflict lines ... Go home, halt sidesplitting radical and beryllium done."

In the gathering with Zelenskyy, Trump besides warned the Ukrainian person that Putin had told him — in a lengthy telephone telephone connected Thursday successful which they agreed to clasp in-person talks successful Hungary — that Putin would "destroy" Ukraine if it did not hold to the demand.

The gathering betwixt Trump and Zelenskyy descended into a "shouting match," the Financial Times reported, with Trump "cursing each the time," according to unnamed radical acquainted with the substance cited by the FT.

In a Truth Social post, Trump described the gathering arsenic "very interesting, and cordial," but said helium had "strongly suggested" to some leaders that it was clip to extremity the war.

"Let some assertion Victory, fto History decide!" helium said successful the station Friday.

Zelenskyy enactment connected a brave face, telling NBC News' "Meet the Press," successful an interrogation recorded Friday aft the gathering with Trump, that "we are not losing this war, and Putin is not winning." He besides remained optimistic contempt leaving the White House without the Tomahawk missiles helium was coveting.

"It's bully that President Trump didn't accidental 'no,' but for today, didn't accidental 'yes,'" Zelenskyy told "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker successful the interview, which aired Sunday.

He besides said helium was acceptable to articulation Putin and Trump's upcoming summit successful Budapest, which could instrumentality spot successful the adjacent fewer weeks. Whether Zelenskyy volition beryllium invited to Hungary remains to beryllium seen, however.

As good arsenic declining to supply Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine, which Trump had antecedently mooted successful an evident bid to bring Russia to the negotiating table, Trump besides mused astir giving information guarantees to some Kyiv and Moscow, Reuters reported, citing 2 sources acquainted with the talks.

CNBC has contacted the White House for further remark and is awaiting a response.

Close followers of Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy relations fearfulness the U.S. president is easy swayed by the seasoned Russian leader's arguments implicit Ukraine. They accidental Trump does not look acceptable oregon consenting to exert much unit connected Putin, beryllium it successful the signifier of much arms transfers to Kyiv, oregon much economical restrictions connected Russia.

"We support dismissing Donald Trump arsenic benignant of 'Everybody's Fool' due to the fact that he's truthful bombastic and says galore things a mile a minute, but helium really is being precise transactional astir the relationship," Nina Khrushcheva, The New School prof of planetary affairs, told CNBC "Squawk Box" Friday.

"Everybody keeps pulling him 1 broadside oregon another, beryllium it the Russian broadside oregon Ukrainian side. But he's not taking sides, and he's truly playing, interestingly, some hands."

She noted that Trump inactive wants to triumph implicit Putin, but is besides keeping him connected a "tight leash," demonstrated by his menace to springiness Ukraine much weapons.

"So far, I deliberation it is working. He's not giving either broadside what they wanted, but helium keeps going, and eventually, potentially, they whitethorn hold to immoderate benignant of a bid agreement," she said.

Michael O'Hanlon, manager of overseas argumentation probe astatine the Brookings Institution, told CNBC that Putin is apt to hold Trump out.

"I deliberation it would beryllium much effectual [for Trump] to harvester the subject menace with greater economical pressure, but we'll spot possibly that comes later," helium noted Friday.

O'Hanlon said determination were respective ways the U.S. could ramp up the unit connected Moscow, including different U.S. assistance bundle for Ukraine and a bigger crackdown connected Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers facilitating shipments of Russian lipid to circumvent the lipid terms headdress and sanctions.

"We don't bash overmuch trading with Russia, but, of course, different countries do, and I deliberation it's clip to speech to not conscionable India, but besides China astir a strategy whereby they would see reducing their interaction, their economical interaction, and you endanger secondary sanctions if you don't get that benignant of help," helium said.

"So those are the antithetic pieces. Not each of them person to hap astatine the nonstop aforesaid minute, and they tin happen. They tin beryllium phased in, but I deliberation President Trump is simply a small excessively fixated connected conscionable the Tomahawks, positive his idiosyncratic rapport with Putin, and I don't deliberation that's going to beryllium capable [to halt Russia]."