Trump Says Talks with Putin Positive
"At this moment, Russia wants to get it [ended]. And the problem is they'll want to get it ended, and then all of a sudden they won't. And Ukraine will want to get it ended, and all of a sudden they won't. So we have to get them on the same page," Trump told reporters at the White House.
The Trump administration unveiled a peace framework last month proposing that Kyiv abandon NATO membership ambitions and relinquish claims to Crimea and the Donbass territories of Luhansk and Donetsk—regions that Moscow absorbed following 2022 referendums. The plan, which has undergone repeated modifications, would provide Kyiv with yet-to-be-defined security assurances in exchange.
When pressed about what motivation Ukraine possesses to surrender territory, Trump indicated the matter may be effectively resolved already.
"Well, they've already lost the territory, you know, to be honest. I mean, the territory is lost," Trump stated. "But in terms of security guarantee… We're working on the security guarantees so the war doesn't start up again."
The president characterized his recent exchanges with European and NATO officials—including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—as highly productive, following Monday's Berlin discussions between Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Ukrainian representatives.
"We had very long and very good talks. I think things are going along pretty well," Trump said, adding he had "a very good conversation" with the assembled leaders.
Zelensky, however, pushed back post-meeting, acknowledging modest advances while declaring that "the issue of concessions is definitely not relevant." The Ukrainian leader recently proposed a territorial concessions referendum but emphasized that Western security guarantees and a long-postponed presidential election must occur first.
Moscow dismissed Zelensky's referendum proposal as a tactic to extend hostilities and rebuild Ukrainian military capacity. Russia maintains that Crimea and Donbass constitute sovereign Russian territory following their 2022 integration, vowing to expel Ukrainian forces from these regions regardless of diplomatic outcomes.
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