U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday dropped his push for a ceasefire in Ukraine in favor of pursuing a full peace accord, a major shift announced hours after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin yielded no clear breakthrough.

Before the high-stakes meeting in Alaska, securing an immediate cessation of hostilities had been a core demand of Trump and European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will now visit Washington on Monday.

Ukraine and its European allies have long criticized Putin's demand for a full peace deal, saying Putin aims to buy time and press Russia's battlefield advances.

But, on his flight back to Washington after the Alaska summit, Trump told Zelenskyy and European leaders that to "go directly to a peace agreement" is the "best way" to end the Ukraine crisis. Ceasefire agreements "often times do not hold up," Trump added on his Truth Social platform.

Zelenskyy said Trump's shift is a new development, which "complicates the situation."

If Moscow lacks "the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater – peaceful coexistence with its neighbors for decades," Zelenskyy said on social media.

Putin on Saturday repeated that Russia would like to move on to resolving all issues by peaceful means at a meeting on the results of his talks with Trump.

Putin demands Donbas

In his call with European leaders, Trump expressed support for a proposal by Putin to take full control of two largely Russian-held Ukrainian regions in exchange for freezing the frontline in two others, an official briefed on the talks told AFP.

Putin "de facto demands that Ukraine leave Donbas," an area consisting of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine, the source said.

In exchange, Russian forces would halt their offensive in the Black Sea port region of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, where the main cities are still under Ukrainian control.

"The Ukrainian president refused to leave Donbas," the source said.

Trump notably also said that the U.S. was prepared to provide Ukraine security guarantees, though the details of such assurances remain unclear. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed this on Saturday during a TV interview. He said that the U.S. was ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, rather than leaving the matter entirely to Europe and hailed it as "significant progress."

One source told AFP that the guarantees would be similar to, but distinct from, NATO's collective defense clause. Another source noted it was uncertain why Russia appeared to have broadly agreed with Washington on the issue, despite its consistent opposition to NATO providing Ukraine with substantive security guarantees.

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Zelenskyy's Washington visit

The primary diplomatic focus has now switched to Zelenskyy's talks at the White House on Monday. Several European leaders have also been invited to attend.

Zelenskyy said on Saturday that after a "substantive" conversation with Trump about the Alaska summit, he was looking forward to his Washington visit and discussing "all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war."

In an interview with broadcaster Fox News after his sit-down with Putin, Trump had suggested that the onus was now on Zelenskyy to secure a peace deal as they work towards an eventual trilateral summit with Putin.

"It's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done," Trump said.

Analysts said that the August 18 meeting could pave the way for a future trilateral framework, and that outlining an agenda would mark the most significant diplomatic step since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

According to a report by U.S. online media outlet Axios on Saturday, Trump wants to arrange the trilateral summit as soon as August 22. Merz said that the trilateral summit is expected to follow Monday's meeting.

So far, the Russian side has not publicly committed to a trilateral meeting.

European reactions

The leaders of France, Britain and Germany are due to host a video call on Sunday for their so-called "coalition of the willing" to discuss the way forward.

In an earlier statement, they welcomed the plan for a Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy summit but added that they would maintain pressure on Russia in the absence of a ceasefire.

In the statement, the leaders reiterated that Ukraine must receive "ironclad security guarantees" to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"No limitations should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to the EU and NATO," the statement said.

Reaffirming their support for Kyiv, the leaders also stressed that Ukraine alone must decide on its territory and that international borders "must not be changed by force."

The statement pledged continued support for Ukraine. As long as fighting continues, the leaders said, Europe will maintain pressure on Russia through strengthened sanctions and broader economic measures.

Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine raged on, with Kyiv announcing Saturday that Russia had launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile during the night.

(With input from agencies)