- Trump expresses optimism about ending the Ukraine conflict.
- Russia insists on Ukraine’s neutrality and exclusion from NATO.
- European nations and Britain ready to deploy peacekeepers if a ceasefire is established.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to explore possibilities for ending the war in Ukraine, following constructive discussions between U.S. and Russian officials in Moscow.
“Our goal is to see if we can put an end to this war,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight from Florida back to Washington. “There’s a chance we can succeed.”
“I will have a conversation with President Putin on Tuesday. A significant amount of progress has been made over the weekend.”
Trump aims to secure Putin’s backing for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week, even as both countries continued to engage in heavy aerial strikes over the weekend. Meanwhile, Russia is progressing in its attempts to dislodge Ukrainian forces from their established positions in the western Russian region of Kursk.
There was no immediate response from the Kremlin to Reuters’ request for comment.
Last Friday, the Kremlin indicated that Putin had sent Trump a message regarding the ceasefire plan through U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff during talks in Moscow, conveying “cautious optimism” about reaching an agreement to end the three-year conflict.
In separate appearances on U.S. television on Sunday, Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, highlighted that several obstacles remain before Russia would agree to a ceasefire, let alone a comprehensive peace settlement.
When asked on ABC if the U.S. would consider a peace deal allowing Russia to retain portions of eastern Ukraine that it has claimed, Waltz responded, “Are we expected to drive every Russian from every inch of Ukrainian territory?” He emphasized that negotiations need to be grounded in “reality.”
Rubio mentioned on CBS that a final peace agreement will require “significant effort, with concessions from both Russia and Ukraine,” and that initiating those negotiations would be challenging “while the fighting continues.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated last Friday that he sees a favorable opportunity to conclude the ongoing Russian aggression after Kyiv endorsed the U.S. suggestion for a temporary 30-day ceasefire.
Nevertheless, Zelenskiy has consistently maintained that Ukraine’s sovereignty is non-negotiable and that Russia must relinquish the territories it has annexed. Since its invasion in 2022, Russia has seized control of Crimea and significant parts of four eastern Ukrainian regions.
Russia’s Demands for Guarantees
Russia will seek “ironclad” guarantees in any peace agreement, specifically that NATO nations agree to exclude Ukraine from membership and that Ukraine remains neutral, according to remarks from a Russian deputy foreign minister published on Monday.
In an extensive interview with the Russian news outlet Izvestia, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko did not mention the ceasefire proposal but reiterated that any lasting peace deal concerning Ukraine must meet Moscow’s conditions.
“We will insist that unyielding security guarantees be included in this agreement,” Izvestia reported Grushko stating.
“Part of these assurances should include Ukraine’s neutral status and a commitment from NATO countries to prevent Ukraine’s admission into the alliance.”
Putin has maintained that his military intervention in Ukraine was provoked by NATO’s eastward expansion, which he views as a threat to Russia’s security. He has demanded that Ukraine abandon its aspirations for NATO membership, that Russia retains control of all territories it has taken, and that the size of the Ukrainian military be restricted. He also seeks the easing of Western sanctions and the scheduling of presidential elections in Ukraine, which Kyiv argues is premature during martial law.
Peacekeepers’ Involvement
Trump, having altered U.S. policy to align more closely with Moscow, has described Ukraine as more challenging to deal with than Russia. He had an intense discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last month that ended with Zelenskiy departing the White House prematurely.
However, Ukraine’s approval of the proposed ceasefire now places the responsibility on Russia to comply with Trump’s requests, putting the U.S. president’s more favorable perception of Putin to the test.
Ukraine’s allies in Europe and Britain emphasized that any ceasefire and eventual peace agreement must involve Ukraine in the negotiations.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer mentioned on Saturday that Western allies, besides the U.S., are ramping up preparations to support Ukraine if a ceasefire with Russia is achieved, with military leaders set to finalize “robust plans” in the coming week.
Britain and France have both indicated their readiness to send peacekeeping forces to monitor any ceasefire in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia has dismissed the idea of deploying peacekeepers until the conflict concludes.
“It doesn’t matter what name NATO troops would go by on Ukrainian territory—whether as part of the European Union, NATO, or under national flags,” Grushko stated. “If they appear, it means they would be in the conflict zone, bearing all consequences as participants in the conflict.”
“We can discuss deploying unarmed observers, or a civilian mission designed to oversee the implementation of certain aspects of the agreement, or guarantee mechanisms. Until then, that’s all just rhetoric,” he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron commented on Sunday that the deployment of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine is a matter for Kyiv to decide, not Moscow.
