US President Donald Trump stated that the war in Ukraine is approaching a settlement and that the parties are "closer to it than ever before." The American leader made this statement while talking to journalists at the White House, broadcasted by Ukrainian media. According to him, he recently discussed the termination of the conflict with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and believes that a decisive moment has come to end hostilities.
"We have never been this close"
"We are approaching the end of the war that Putin started in Ukraine, and perhaps right now we are closer to it than ever before," Trump stated. The American leader emphasized that right now, at the final stage, it is most important not to take rash steps: he stated that he does not intend to "turn everything upside down" when the process is nearing its finish, and called for restraint and carefulness. He did not disclose specific details of the negotiations.
Diplomatic activity surrounding the conflict
Trump's statement coincided with a series of diplomatic contacts. White House special envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly met with Vladimir Putin and announced progress in peace negotiations and the existence of "ground for a ceasefire." US President's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who joined the negotiation process, characterized the achieved results as "encouraging progress" and expressed confidence in the chances of resolving the conflict. For its part, Russia announced its readiness to resume trilateral negotiations on a settlement in Ukraine.
Trilateral format and possible timeframe
Further negotiations between the US, Ukraine, and Russia are expected to continue in a trilateral format at the technical level. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that a new meeting within the framework of trilateral negotiations on ending the war could take place no later than early November. Earlier, Trump also expressed his desire to sign a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia during the G20 summit, which, according to him, should take place in December in the state of Florida.
Context and assessment
Washington's public statements about approaching peace against the backdrop of ongoing hostilities cause caution among observers: the details and conditions of a possible agreement remain undisclosed, and the timing of trilateral contacts has not yet been officially confirmed. Nevertheless, the coincidence of signals from the White House, Moscow, and Kyiv regarding readiness for negotiations indicates that the diplomatic track on Ukraine is intensifying.
