US President Donald Trump on Friday warned that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict could lead to a global catastrophe, cautioning that a prolonged battle could “end up in a third world war.”
His remarks
came during an interaction with reporters at the White House shortly after he signed an executive order aimed at preventing a “patchwork” of state-level AI regulations.
Trump said he was increasingly disturbed by the scale of casualties in the war, noting that an estimated 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, were killed in the past month alone.
Urging an immediate halt to the fighting, he said Washington was pushing aggressively for a breakthrough. “I’d like to see the killing stop. Twenty-five thousand died last month… I would love to see it end. And we’re working very hard,” he said.
Reiterating his warning, Trump added: “Everybody keeps playing games like this, we’ll end up in a third world war, and we don’t want that.”
🚨🇺🇦 🇷🇺 TRUMP WARNS UKRAINE WAR COUNTRIES: “IF EVERYBODY KEEPS PLAYING GAMES LIKE THIS, YOU’LL END UP IN A THIRD WORLD WAR”
Trump revealed he directly warned countries involved in the Ukraine conflict that their continued escalation risks triggering World War III during recent… https://t.co/d1jeszDPVR pic.twitter.com/20LT04YGdi
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 12, 2025
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President was “extremely frustrated” with both Moscow and Kyiv over the lack of progress toward a settlement.
She said Trump was unwilling to hold more “meetings for the sake of meetings” and wanted concrete results as the US leads mediation efforts in the four-year-old war.
“He’s sick of talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end,” Leavitt said.
She added that Trump had held discussions with European leaders on Wednesday, while US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his team were engaged in direct talks with both sides “literally as we speak.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Washington has been urging Kyiv to pull back forces from parts of Donetsk to create a “free economic zone” in Ukrainian-controlled eastern regions, an idea reportedly advanced by the US but aligned with Moscow’s strategic interests, according to Al Jazeera.
Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine had submitted a 20-point set of counter-proposals to American officials and stressed that any territorial compromise would require approval through a national referendum.
Zelenskyy has also faced mounting pressure from Washington to reach a negotiated settlement, with reports claiming that Trump hopes to see an agreement by Christmas.
The broader peace plan includes a 20-point framework along with additional documents on security guarantees and Ukraine’s reconstruction, though the revised details have not been released.
Amid diplomatic activity, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte issued a sharp warning in Berlin, urging European allies to rapidly scale up defence production and spending.
He said Moscow could target NATO within five years if Europe remains complacent.
“We are Russia’s next target,” Rutte said, adding, “Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared.”
