Trump would like to end the war in Ukraine by the U.S. Independence Day anniversary, Bloomberg reports

U.S. President Donald Trump would like to end the war in Ukraine by July 4, 2026, when the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of its independence.

Bloomberg reports, citing Ukraine’s Western allies.

At the same time, senior European and NATO officials say they see no signs that Russia and Ukraine are ready to move away from their negotiating positions. In their view, Russian President Vladimir Putin is not prepared to accept an agreement that does not meet his core demands. U.S. officials also privately acknowledge that they see no indication Putin is willing to abandon his maximalist stance.

For its part, Ukraine is rejecting Russia’s demands that Ukrainian troops withdraw from Donetsk oblast, instead proposing a ceasefire along the current front line.

Moscow and Washington are effectively competing to see who will make concessions first, a senior NATO official said. For Russia, that would mean yielding on some of its red lines; for the United States, it would mean scaling back support for Ukraine.

Although talks among the three sides remain constructive, they have effectively reached a deadlock, a source said.

Europe is concerned that Putin could agree to a ceasefire, which would allow Trump to declare success in ending the war. However, Europeans believe Moscow would continue a campaign of sabotage, hybrid warfare, or election interference aimed at destabilizing Ukraine.

Earlier, Die Welt wrote that Europe is discussing Trump’s proposal for Ukraine to cede territory in Donbas in exchange for accelerated EU accession.

Meanwhile, in recent months European leaders and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly suggested that ending the war now would not be in their interest.