U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Monday that a resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is "getting closer than people realize," expressing optimism following recent conversations with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Trump announced his intention to discuss the Ukraine war during his upcoming meetings in Turkey at a NATO summit. His remarks came after weekend calls with Putin and Zelenskiy, though he did not provide specific details to substantiate his assertion of an impending resolution. This optimism contrasts with reports of a significant missile and drone attack by Russia on Kyiv and its surrounding region, which resulted in at least 28 fatalities.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that Russia perceived no change in the United States' position on resolving the conflict. However, Zelenskiy, in an interview with the Financial Times, suggested that recent Ukrainian successes might be leading the U.S. President to view the conflict in a new perspective. "This is one that I think we're getting much closer than people realize. And President Putin wants it to end. I will tell you that very strongly," Trump told reporters.
Trump described his July 4th call with Putin as "good," with a Kremlin aide noting the conversation lasted 85 minutes and included Trump offering assistance in finding a path toward peace. "And President Zelenskiy actually wants it to end now. And we're going to be going to NATO, and we're going to be talking about it, and I think we're going to get it," Trump added. "It's been a terrible situation."
A U.S. official confirmed that Trump is scheduled to meet Zelenskiy on Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, with the objective of renewing efforts to end the war. The official also indicated that Trump would likely follow up with Putin after his meeting with Zelenskiy.
Peskov reiterated that Putin and Trump had agreed to maintain contact and that Moscow viewed Trump's stance on the conflict as consistent. "President Trump, the U.S. president, has a fairly consistent stance, and all these fabrications about him supposedly changing his views like a weather vane are, of course, untrue," Peskov stated. He added that Trump "is consistent and confident in his understanding of what is happening, but, most importantly, he (Trump) is open to listening to the information that is conveyed to him by Putin." Zelenskiy also characterized his call with Trump as "very good" and informed the Financial Times that Trump had acknowledged Ukraine's successful long-range drone campaign against Russian oil industry targets.
