Russia-Ukraine peace talks: US President Donald Trump on Monday, December 15, stated that the peace deal to end the four-year-long running war between
Ukraine and Russia is 'closer than ever' following ongoing talks between European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin. Trump, while addressing the press conference, told reporters that he had held “very long and very good talks” with a broad group of European leaders, with the war in Ukraine a central focus of the discussions. Speaking at the White House, Trump emphasised that the United States is receiving "tremendous support" from European leaders, including Germany, Italy, France, the UK, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands, who also wish to see an end to the conflict. "We are going to get it done. I think we are closer now, and they will tell you that they are closer now with numerous conversations with President Putin of Russia. And I think we are closer now than we have ever been... We want to save a lot of lives," Trump said. "We are getting closer. We are having tremendous support from European leaders who want to get it ended also," he added. The US President also stated the challenge of aligning Russia and Ukraine on the timing and terms of a potential deal, saying, "At this moment, Russia wants to get it, but the problem is they will want to end it, and all of a sudden they want it, and Ukraine will want to get it ended and all of a sudden they won't. We have to get them on the same page." Trump's comments came after hours-long diplomatic discussions between the US, European, and NATO leaders and Zelenskyy in Berlin to negotiate a resolution to the war in Ukraine. Earlier, the Ukrainian President previously indicated that Ukraine is ready to forgo its NATO membership ambitions in exchange for security assurances from the West. Responding to questions later, Trump said he believed Putin wanted the conflict to end. “I actually think that President Putin wants to see it end,” he said. “I think they’d like to get back to a more normal way of life.” According to a report by The Guardian, the United States has offered to provide NATO-style security guarantees for Kyiv as US and European negotiators report progress in talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, but a deal on territorial concessions remained elusive. Envoys sent by Donald Trump made the unprecedented offer at talks on Monday with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Berlin. US officials have warned that such a deal would not be on the table forever. European leaders stressed the outcome of the talks would affect their own countries’ security for decades to come, write Andrew Roth, Deborah Cole and Shaun Walker.
With inputs from ANI.
