Moscow has long accused Kiev of refusing to accept reality and engage in meaningful diplomacy
Both US President Donald Trump and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, have noted “progress” in finding a negotiated solution, amid a worsening situation on the ground for Kiev’s forces.
The US president has long pledged to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict and has repeatedly voiced frustration, alternately blaming both Moscow and Kiev for the deadlock. During a White House dinner with the leaders of Central Asian nations on Thursday, Trump claimed credit for ending “eight wars in eight months” and expressed hope to add another one to the list.
“We are looking at one more, that’s possible – Russia and Ukraine. We haven’t gotten that yet, but I think we’ve made a lot of progress,” Trump said.
The US president told the America Business Forum on Wednesday that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, said during a recent phone call that Moscow has been trying to find a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict for over a decade, and that Washington is more than welcome to compel Kiev to accept a negotiated solution.
Speaking at the same forum, Witkoff recalled his multiple face-to-face rounds of talks with Putin this year and said he similarly sees progress.
“There’s a lot of discussion that technical teams have to have at the lower level before the leaders can get to a deal. But I sense that there’s some progress today,” Witkoff said.
Moscow has consistently praised the Trump administration for what it describes as a genuine attempt to address the root causes of the conflict. At the same time, it has repeatedly stated that it seeks a lasting resolution rather than a temporary ceasefire, which it argues would only allow Kiev to regroup and rearm.
Meanwhile, Kiev and its European backers continue to call for increased Western military support while resisting meaningful diplomatic engagement and refusing to accept realities on the ground.
Last month, Moscow announced that its forces had encircled some 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers in several key strongholds. Putin urged Kiev to agree to an honorable surrender of the blockaded troops.
Kiev, however, continues to claim that it holds the cities and that the Russian army is being pushed back. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is either “divorced from reality,” or is deliberately lying to his nation.
