Donald Trump has stated that Ukraine and Russia might be nearing a peace agreement to conclude their lengthy conflict.
The US President made these comments after a productive meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where they discussed a 20-point peace proposal in detail.
During their discussion at Mar-a-Lago, Trump, 79, and Zelenskyy, 47, focused on strategies to end the war in Ukraine. Despite some challenges, a resolution now seems more feasible than before.
“We could be very close,” Trump remarked, as reported by CNN. “There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues. But I think we’re doing very well.”
“We made a lot of progress today, but really, we’ve made it over the last month,” he added. “This is not a one-day process. It’s very complicated stuff.”
Although the progress is promising for Ukraine, the meeting had moments of tension, with Zelenskyy visibly uncomfortable at some of Trump’s statements.
One such instance was when Trump suggested the war could have been avoided if not for alleged ‘interference’ in the US election.
“If the election wasn’t rigged and stolen, [in] 2020, you wouldn’t have had this war,” Trump claimed. “And it didn’t happen for four years—never was even thought to happen.”
Despite these assertions, which lack supporting evidence, Trump conveyed his hope for a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
The conflict between the two nations began in February 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Since then, numerous missile attacks and a significant ground offensive have resulted in thousands of casualties, underscoring the importance of achieving a sustainable ceasefire.
“I do believe that we have the makings of a deal that’s good for Ukraine, good for everybody,” Trump said.
“We’re going to get it done,” Trump declared about resolving the conflict. “We’re going to have a great meeting today. This gentleman has worked very hard, and he’s very brave, and his people are very brave. What they’ve gone through no nation, very rarely, has a nation ever had to go through this. So, we’re going to have a very good meeting today.”
The meeting on Sunday followed a fresh bombing of Kyiv by Russia. Nonetheless, Trump disclosed a recent phone call with Vladimir Putin and plans to communicate the updated peace terms after his discussion with Zelenskyy.