Trump Claims Putin Wants Deal to End Ukraine War

President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Trump described a phone call with Putin on Tuesday as great and added that it would be very nice if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also wanted to make a deal. When asked what is delaying a peace agreement, Trump attributed the holdup to the fact that Putin and Zelenskyy hate each other.

The phone call followed visits to Moscow and Kyiv by Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. According to the Kremlin, the conversation between Trump and Putin was constructive and extremely openhearted. Russian officials stated that Trump expressed a desire to reach a breakthrough during his presidency and noted that ending the conflict would allow for the full restoration of Russian and American relations. The White House did not release a summary of the call or officially confirm it took place.

Reactions to the news varied. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed doubt regarding Putin's willingness to engage in serious peace talks. Similarly, intelligence officials in the U.S. Ukraine, and Europe continue to question if Putin is seriously interested in ending the war. Meanwhile, the Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov suggested that the U.S. should stop supporting Kyiv to help end the conflict.

Reports on the event differ in their framing of the current situation on the ground. Center lean outlets focused on the diplomatic efforts and Trump's personal assessment of the leaders' relationship. A center right outlet highlighted the skepticism of European leadership. A center lean outlet provided a more critical framing by contrasting Trump's positive comments about the call with reports of ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, including a strike on Kyiv that killed at least five people and an attack on a center in Sumy that killed at least two.