U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday (December 15) that an agreement aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine is closer than ever, as his team reported progress after talks in Berlin.
“I think we’re closer now than we have been ever,” Trump told reporters at the White House, saying recent discussions had been extensive and constructive.
He said the focus remained on ending the fighting and preventing further loss of life.
The U.S. president also confirmed that he has held multiple conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said there were indications that Moscow was open to ending the conflict, while acknowledging the difficulty of keeping both sides aligned during negotiations.
“We’ve had good talks with Russia,” Trump said, adding that he believed both parties wanted to move towards a more stable situation, despite repeated setbacks.
Trump said he had also spoken in recent days with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and held lengthy conversations with leaders from Germany, Italy, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, as well as with NATO officials. He described the talks as detailed and said there was strong European support for bringing the war to an end.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had said “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” after talks in Berlin, stressing that decisions on Ukraine’s future and territorial issues must be taken by Kyiv itself.
Meanwhile, a U.S. official who briefed reporters earlier said Trump was encouraged by progress made during talks in Europe, estimating that a large share of the issues under discussion had been narrowed, although key disagreements remained unresolved. The official said discussions included proposed security guarantees for Ukraine that would resemble NATO’s Article Five commitments, with Trump prepared to submit such measures to the U.S. Senate if an agreement is reached.
Trump said work was also under way with European partners on security guarantees aimed at preventing a renewed conflict, stressing that any agreement must ensure the war does not restart.
Negotiations involving U.S., Ukrainian and European representatives have been taking place in Berlin since Sunday. Officials said further meetings are expected this weekend, potentially in Miami, as efforts continue to push towards a negotiated settlement.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Servic...
Russian parliamentary elections have delivered a comfortable win to the ruling United Russia party, which is closely aligned to President Vladimir ...
A powerful typhoon was approaching Japan’s Pacific coast on Monday, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and a heightened risk of landslide...
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The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
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Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
Russian parliamentary elections have delivered a comfortable win to the ruling United Russia party, which is closely aligned to President Vladimir Putin. With more than 95 per cent of ballots counted, United Russia has taken 57.83 per cent of the vote, up from the 49.8 per cent which it won in 2021.
A powerful typhoon was approaching Japan’s Pacific coast on Monday, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and a heightened risk of landslides across the Kanto region, including Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
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