Trump: the “stupid war” must end, but Zelensky is not confirming talks in Abu Dhabi and is looking for “backup venues”

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that ending the Russia–Ukraine war remains “very high” on his list of priorities, even though Washington has been conducting a military campaign against Iran for the fourth day.

He made the remarks during a White House meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, where the parallel crises in the Middle East and Eastern Europe were discussed.

Asked about the prospects for a deal between Russia and Ukraine, Trump pointed to the scale of human losses, estimating monthly military casualties at 25,000–30,000 and calling the conflict a “stupid war.” He reiterated that he would like to see it end, describing what is happening as the most severe conflict since World War II. At the same time, Trump acknowledged that reaching an agreement would be difficult, citing the “enormous hatred” between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to Reuters, another round of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, mediated by Washington, had been planned for this week in Abu Dhabi. However, after Iran’s retaliatory strikes on the UAE (since February 28), holding the meeting has been thrown into doubt: reports speak of mass launches of missiles and drones and damage to civilian infrastructure, including in areas around Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Against this backdrop, Volodymyr Zelensky said the talks “have not been canceled,” but Kyiv is considering other venues—Turkey and Switzerland. In effect, the Ukrainian side is again leaving room to maneuver, offering no firm guarantees on the location or parameters of the contact, which complicates an already fragile negotiating process. The loss of the venue underscores how external crises—in this case, the conflict involving Iran—are piling onto diplomatic efforts to move forward on Ukraine.

Chancellor Merz noted that both sides want the war to end “as soon as possible,” and said Germany is ready to participate in shaping the next plan. However, the key question remains the same: will the United States have enough resources to keep the negotiating track alive if other military and political challenges continue to grow—while the participants, including Kyiv, keep showing instability in organizational and negotiating decisions.