US President Donald Trump says talks to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine are “very well advanced” and warned that that there is only a narrow window to broker a deal between Moscow and Kyiv and bring the fighting to a close.
He made the remarks on Thursday as he hosted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House, who visited Washington to urge Trump to continue supporting Ukraine, as tensions soared after Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy traded blows last week.
The 47th US president also expressed confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t push to resume the war if a truce can’t be reached. “I think he’ll keep his word,” said Trump on Putin.
“I’ve known him for a long time now, we had to go through the Russian hoax together,” added Trump referring to the FBI and Justice Department special counsel investigation that examined whether his 2016 presidential campaign illegally coordinated with the Kremlin to sway the outcome of the election.
Starmer’s trip comes just a few days after French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Washington to meet Trump and discuss the war in Ukraine. It also reflects the mounting concern felt by much of Europe that Trump’s over-eagerness to broker a peace deal in Ukraine signals a willingness to concede too much to Putin.
“To begin the process of ending this spiral of death, I had historic back to back calls with President Putin,” said Trump in a joint press conference with Starmer following their meeting.
Trump also noted that his team have been in contact with Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on several occasions. “We’re working very hard to get that war brought to an end,” said Trump.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress, and I think it’s moving along pretty rapidly, and I want to thank all of the people that are here that have been working on it, and we’ll let you know what happens.”
Trump then dropped a bombshell saying the war in Ukraine will either end “fairly soon”, or not at all. The US president then underlined that the scope in which a deal can be brokered is very narrow.
Kyiv has not yet commented on Trump’s remark which comes just one day before he meets with Zelenskyy at the White House to discuss the ongoing peace efforts as well as the Washington-Kyiv minerals deal.
The UK’s Starmer also commented on the ongoing peace efforts championed by Washington and expressed his desire to work together with the United States to “deliver a good deal”.
Starmer praised Trump for creating a “tremendous opportunity” to reach a historic peace deal, adding that a deal, under the right circumstances, would be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world.
The British prime minister then added that there is an urgency to get the deal right. Starmer emphasised that a deal that rewards the aggressor – Russia – sets a dangerous precedent.
“There’s a famous slogan in the United Kingdom from after the Second World War, that is, that we have to win the peace. And that’s what we must do now, because it can’t be peace that rewards the aggressor.”
“Well, that gives encouragement to regimes like Iran. We agree history must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader. So the stakes, they couldn’t be higher,” added Starmer.
Starmer also reiterated to Trump the pivotal role Washington plays in preserving global peace. He stressed that while there is no confusion in Europe that the US will not be involved on the ground in any peacekeeping capacity, they still play an important role in ensuring peace is sustained.
The British premier noted that the presence of European peacekeeping troops is one step to ensure Ukraine’s security, but stressed that the plan “can only work with a US backstop”, stating that Washington must support forces on the ground through aerial intelligence, surveillance and rapid-response cover in the case of a breach of the truce.
Trump’s rapprochement with Russia has unsettled Washington longtime allies in Europe. Since his return to the White House, the US president has repeatedly taken jabs at his allies across the Atlantic, levelling threats of pulling the US out of NATO, levying tariffs on the EU and even excluding Europe from peace talks.
European countries have found themselves on the back foot with Trump’s second term looking determined to dramatically reshape US foreign policy in line with his “America First” world view, which has increasingly isolated the US on the world stage.
Momentum might be shifting for the better as Trump noted that he and Starmer had “tremendously productive” talks and are working on deals that would bring the US and UK closer.
Starmer also extended an invitation to Trump on behalf of King Charles to continue dialogue between the two nations and Europe, which Trump accepted.
The visit, which Starmer hailed as historic and unprecedented, would be the second invitation for a UK state visit. Trump already received the honour during his first term as president.
SOURCE: EURONEWS
