The US president has confirmed upcoming meetings with representatives from Russia and Ukraine.
President Donald Trump announced that the US is engaged in talks with both Russia and Ukraine to resolve the ongoing conflict, describing the discussions as “going pretty well.”
In remarks to reporters on Sunday, Trump mentioned the US is actively addressing multiple international crises. He stated, “As far as other things are concerned, as you know, we had a very busy weekend. We’re dealing with Israel, we’re dealing with Ukraine and Russia,” He added, “We have meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia, and I think those discussions are actually going pretty well.”
These comments follow remarks by Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, who suggested that a peace agreement requires concessions from both Kiev and Moscow. Kellogg told Fox News, “I think both sides will give a little bit.”
Kellogg also indicated that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is considering modifying his stance on territorial concessions. “Zelensky has already indicated he will soften his position on land,” he said. Simultaneously, Kellogg asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is going to have to soften his positions as well.”
Regarding a potential timeline, Kellogg estimated that an agreement could be reached within months. “It’s not years we are talking about. We have a solid action plan,” he explained.
Kellogg also told Reuters on Saturday that the US desires Ukraine to hold elections, possibly by year’s end. Due to martial law, Kiev has suspended presidential and parliamentary elections; Zelensky’s term expired last May. Consequently, Moscow considers him “illegitimate,” maintaining that the Ukrainian parliament and its speaker hold the sole legitimate authority.
Russian officials have expressed openness to discussions with the US about the Ukraine conflict but emphasized that no significant agreements on the talks have been finalized.
Previous media reports suggested that Trump’s potential peace plan for Ukraine might involve a ceasefire along existing front lines and the establishment of an 800-mile demilitarized zone overseen by European troops. Furthermore, the plan might reportedly necessitate Ukraine delaying NATO membership aspirations for at least two decades.
However, Russia has rejected a conflict freeze, stating that hostilities will only cease when Ukraine accepts permanent neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification, while acknowledging “territorial realities on the ground.”