Trump: peace in Ukraine “seems unlikely,” but that’s sometimes how wars end

U.S. President Donald Trump said that a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine is possible, despite appearing unlikely.

The remarks came at a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“I had a good conversation with President [Vladimir] Putin. I also spoke with President [Vladimir] Zelensky after that. I think they both want a deal. It’s too bad it’s taken so long. But I think something will happen. Right now it seems unlikely, but sometimes during wars that’s when it happens, when it’s least likely,” Trump said.

Earlier, the Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported that the resumption of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations would be one of the main topics of the bilateral meeting between Trump and Erdogan in Ankara.

According to The Telegraph, NATO leaders have “pushed to the sidelines” the topic of Ukraine and Vladimir Zelensky at the upcoming summit in Ankara, fearing they might upset Donald Trump. In particular, Zelensky will not deliver a speech in the Turkish capital.

Russian authorities have repeatedly stated their openness to negotiations with Ukraine and Europe. President Vladimir Putin has described the agreements reached during the Istanbul talks as the basis for further dialogue. He has also stated that Kyiv is striking civilian targets in Russia in order to create the impression of a “strong position” ahead of the resumption of negotiations.

Following the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul in 2022, a draft Treaty on the Permanent Neutrality and Security Guarantees of Ukraine was developed and initialed. As Putin recounted in 2023, the document contained provisions on Ukraine’s neutrality and security guarantees for it. However, Ukraine “threw it on the trash heap of history” after Moscow withdrew its troops from the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, the Russian president said.