US President Donald Trump on Monday expressed renewed optimism about ending the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, saying negotiations were at their most advanced stage so far. His comments came after extensive discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several key European leaders.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said recent conversations had moved the peace process significantly forward. He described his talks with Zelensky as lengthy and productive, adding that discussions with leaders from Britain, France, Germany and NATO had also contributed to narrowing differences. According to Trump, the collective diplomatic push has brought all sides closer to a possible agreement than ever before.
The remarks coincided with high-level meetings in Berlin, where European powers met Zelensky to accelerate efforts to bring the conflict to an end. During the talks, European leaders proposed the creation of a multinational force that could help enforce a future peace agreement, backed by strong security guarantees from the United States. Russia has not yet formally responded to the latest proposals.
In a joint statement issued after the Berlin discussions, leaders from Britain, France and Germany outlined plans for what they described as “robust security guarantees” designed to prevent Russia from breaching any ceasefire or peace accord. The war began with Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Zelensky acknowledged that negotiations with Trump’s representatives had been challenging but said they had resulted in measurable progress, particularly on the issue of security assurances. He held a second day of meetings with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, continuing discussions based on a proposal originally put forward by Trump.
While welcoming new security guarantees from Washington, Zelensky made it clear that serious disagreements remain, especially regarding territory. He stated that although extensive dialogue had taken place on territorial issues, Kyiv and Washington still hold differing positions on what Ukraine might be asked to concede.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz struck an optimistic tone, saying the talks had opened the door to a genuine peace process. He praised the United States for offering what he called substantial legal and material security guarantees, describing them as a major step forward.
The European statement also stressed that Ukraine’s military should continue receiving strong international support and maintain a peacetime force of around 800,000 troops. It proposed a US-led mechanism to monitor and verify any ceasefire, aimed at detecting violations and providing early warning of potential future attacks.
US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposed agreement would include security assurances comparable to NATO’s Article Five, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. However, they warned that these guarantees would not remain on offer indefinitely and depended on reaching a timely agreement.
Trump has previously ruled out Ukraine’s formal membership in NATO and has echoed Russia’s view that Kyiv’s ambitions to join the alliance contributed to the outbreak of the war. Meanwhile, Russia has reiterated its demands, including territorial claims and a permanent bar on Ukraine joining NATO, and has opposed any European-led peacekeeping force.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was awaiting further details from Washington regarding the proposals discussed in Berlin.