U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that an end to the war in Ukraine may be nearer than many believe, as he prepares to discuss the conflict with allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during this week's NATO summit in Turkey.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said recent conversations with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy had left him optimistic about the prospects for a settlement.
“This is one that I think we're getting much closer than people realise,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“And President Putin wants it to end. I will tell you that very strongly.”
Trump's comments come after separate weekend phone calls with Putin and Zelenskyy.
According to the Kremlin, Trump's conversation with Putin lasted 85 minutes and included discussions about potential ways to move towards peace. Trump described the exchange as a “good call”.
The U.S. president also said Zelenskiy appeared eager to bring the conflict to an end.
“President Zelenskiy actually wants it to end now,” Trump said. “We're going to be going to NATO, and we're going to be talking about it, and I think we're going to get it. I think we're going to get it ended. It's been a terrible situation.”
The remarks come despite continued fighting on the ground. Overnight, Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region killed at least 28 people, underscoring the challenges facing any peace effort.
Trump is expected to meet Zelenskyy on Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.
A senior U.S. official said the meeting would form part of a renewed diplomatic effort to end the more than four-year-old war.
The official added that Trump is likely to speak again with Putin after his talks with the Ukrainian leader.
The summit is expected to place Ukraine high on the agenda as NATO leaders gather to discuss European security and defence spending.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected suggestions that Trump had shifted his position on the conflict.
“You know, President Trump, the U.S. president, has a fairly consistent stance,” Peskov told reporters.
“He is consistent and confident in his understanding of what is happening, but, most importantly, he is open to listening to the information that is conveyed to him by Putin.”
Peskov said Putin and Trump had agreed to maintain contacts in the near future.
Zelenskyy also offered a positive assessment of his latest conversation with Trump, describing it as “very good” in an interview with the Financial Times.
The Ukrainian president suggested Trump may be viewing the conflict differently following recent Ukrainian military successes, particularly long-range drone strikes on Russia's oil infrastructure.
According to Zelenskyy, Trump told him Ukraine was performing strongly in its campaign against Russian energy targets, a strategy that has contributed to fuel shortages in parts of Russia.
“President Trump wants to be where there's success,” Zelenskyy said, according to the newspaper.
He added that the American leader's approach was influenced by several factors, including his political standing and belief that the conflict can eventually be resolved.
Despite Trump's optimism, major differences between Moscow and Kyiv remain unresolved.
Russia continues to insist that any settlement must include its full control over Ukraine's Donbas region, a condition Ukraine rejects.
While diplomatic contacts have increased in recent weeks, no agreement has yet emerged on how to end the conflict, which has become Europe's largest war in decades.
Still, Trump's comments suggest the administration sees an opportunity for renewed negotiations, with the upcoming NATO summit expected to provide another venue for discussions aimed at finding a path toward peace.
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