Following an extraordinary summit at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News that he hopes Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will agree to a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. However, Trump also acknowledged that Putin might not want a deal, which would create a “rough situation” for the Russian leader. Trump gave no specifics on the security guarantees he has previously mentioned but reiterated that U.S. troops will not be deployed to Ukraine.
The Path to Peace Remains Uncertain
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the White House talks as a “major step forward.” He expressed optimism about a potential trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin in the coming weeks. Zelenskiy’s warm reception at the White House, where he was joined by the leaders of Germany, France, and Britain, marked a sharp contrast to his difficult meeting with Trump in February.
Despite the positive diplomatic mood, the path to peace is highly uncertain. Zelenskiy may be forced to make painful compromises to end the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Analysts estimate that more than 1 million people have been killed or wounded in the war.
Ongoing Conflict and Diplomatic Efforts
The Washington talks did not halt the fighting. The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles in an overnight attack, the largest this month, targeting energy facilities. Despite the attacks, Russia and Ukraine conducted a body swap, with Russia returning the bodies of 1,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers in exchange for 19 of its own, according to TASS news agency.
Analysts, like John Foreman, a former British defense attaché, noted that the positive outcome of the summit was that Trump did not demand Ukraine’s capitulation. However, he also pointed out the significant uncertainty surrounding the “nature of security guarantees.”
In a related development, Ukraine’s allies held talks in the “Coalition of the Willing” format to discuss additional sanctions on Russia. The group has also agreed to have planning teams meet with U.S. counterparts in the coming days to develop concrete plans for the security guarantees. NATO military leaders are scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss Ukraine.
Russia’s Stance and Expert Analysis
Russia has not explicitly committed to a meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that while Moscow does not reject any format for peace talks, any meeting of national leaders “must be prepared with utmost thoroughness.”
According to Neil Melvin, director of International Security at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think-tank, Russia could attempt to prolong the war by engaging in protracted peace negotiations to deflect U.S. pressure. He suggested that both Russia and the Europeans are “tiptoeing around Trump” to avoid being blamed as the obstacle to his peace process. Melvin also expressed skepticism about the proposed security guarantees, stating that what Trump has said is “so vague it’s very hard to take it seriously.”
