Historic Breakthrough? Trump Hints Ukraine-Russia War Could End Soon, Says It’s ‘Closer Than Ever’ | World News

Washington DC: Following intense talks in Berlin between European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump announced on Monday (December 15) that a peace agreement to end the four-year war between Ukraine and Russia is “closer than ever”.

Speaking from the White House, he underlined the strong support the United States receives from its European allies, including Germany, Italy, France, Britain, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands.

“We’re going to get this done. I think we’re closer now, and they’ll tell you they’re closer now, with the countless conversations they’ve had with Russian President Putin. And I think we’re closer now than ever before. We want to save a lot of lives,” Trump said.

He also emphasized the difficulty of aligning Russia and Ukraine on the timing and terms of a potential deal.

“Right now, Russia wants to get this, but the problem is, they’re going to want to get it done, and suddenly they’re going to want it, and Ukraine is going to want to get it done, and suddenly they’re not going to get it. We’ve got to get them on the same page,” the president said.

The remarks came after marathon diplomatic talks in Berlin, attended by US, European and NATO leaders as well as Zelenskyy, aimed at holding talks to find a solution to the ongoing conflict. European officials have reportedly agreed to be part of Western security guarantees for Ukraine, but control over the disputed territory remains a major sticking point.

Zelenskyy has previously stated that Ukraine is ready to put aside its NATO membership ambitions in exchange for strong security assurances from the West.

Meanwhile, the conflict continued on land. Russia launched 153 drones into Ukraine overnight, and Ukrainian officials confirmed that 17 drones hit their intended targets. According to Al Jazeera, the Russian Ministry of Defense disputed that its forces destroyed 130 Ukrainian drones.

With high-stakes negotiations and ongoing military actions, Trump has expressed cautious optimism, signaling that diplomatic breakthroughs may finally be within reach.