Trump says Ukraine peace deal 'closer than ever'
On Monday, President Donald Trump stated that the end of the war in Ukraine is closer than ever, as American officials suggested that enhanced security guarantees for Kyiv had advanced peace talks. However, they also warned that the U.S. offer would not remain on the table indefinitely.
“I think we’re closer now than we have been, ever, and we’ll see what we can do,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, News.Az reports, citing CNN.
The US assessment came after two days of discussions in Berlin between officials from Europe, Ukraine and the United States, where Trump was represented by his foreign envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The US president phoned into a dinner of European leaders Monday to discuss the developing agreement. He spoke twice with Witkoff and Kushner over the course of Monday’s discussions.
“Things are seemingly going well, but we’ve been saying that for a long time, and it’s a difficult one,” Trump said after the call.
Trump said the conversation was “very good,” and said he also had a “long talk” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said the US had been in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well.
Roughly 90% of the issues between Russia and Ukraine have been solved, one of the US officials said earlier Monday, describing the issue of territorial concessions as a remaining sticking point. The US side offered “thought-provoking” ideas on how to resolve the impasse, the official said, including the development of an “economic free zone.”
A set of “Article 5”-like security guarantees was hammered out in more precise detail during the talks, the officials said, and would allow for deterrence from further Russian aggression, deconfliction mechanisms and monitoring of an eventual peace deal. But officials declined to delve into specifics, including the US role, beyond saying it would not include US boots on the ground.
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