Trump has told Zelensky and his allies that he will not discuss territorial demarcation with Putin this week

According to NBC News, five people familiar with the matter, including two European officials, said that US President Donald Trump made it clear on the phone with European leaders on Wednesday local time that the core goal of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week was to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, not to discuss territorial demarcation. European officials and two sources at the meeting said there was a consensus that a ceasefire must be achieved before peace talks can start. Some European leaders sensed from the phone that Trump was cautious about the outcome of the meeting. But the five people familiar with the matter stressed that all leaders agreed on two core principles: Ukraine must be involved in the negotiations throughout the process, and the decision on territorial concessions is exclusive to Ukraine. They revealed that allies agreed that if Putin refuses to cease fire, Trump may resort to new sanctions against Russia.