President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is optimistic that ongoing diplomacy could lead to an end to the conflict in Ukraine, telling Fox News that he has been speaking regularly with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Speaking on Fox News' "The Sunday Briefing," Trump described efforts to resolve the fighting as active and expressed hope for a successful outcome. "We're working on the Russia-Ukraine situation, and hopefully we're going to get it," he said.
When asked about his most recent conversation with Mr. Putin, the president declined to provide specifics on the call, but said his exchanges with both leaders have been positive. He told the program he had "good conversations" with both presidents.
Trump pointed to the personal strain between Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskiy as an obstacle to reaching a settlement. "The hatred between President Putin and President Zelenskiy is ridiculous. It's crazy," he said, adding that such animosity makes negotiating more difficult.
The president reiterated his earlier pledge to pursue a swift end to what he described as the nearly three-year-old conflict. He noted that peace efforts have stepped up in recent weeks and referenced a reported 20-point peace framework that is said to be 90% agreed upon. Despite those reports, he acknowledged that key sticking points remain and that neither Ukraine nor Russia has yet accepted a final proposal.
"And hate is a bad thing. Hate is a bad thing when you're trying to settle something, but it'll happen," Trump said.
Trump did not elaborate on timelines, the content of bilateral conversations, or the precise nature of the outstanding issues that continue to prevent final acceptance of a settlement by either side. His remarks conveyed cautious optimism while also highlighting the diplomatic and interpersonal challenges that negotiators are facing.
The comments underscore continued high-level engagement by the U.S. president with both Moscow and Kyiv as various diplomatic channels and proposed frameworks are reported to be moving through stages of negotiation, even as unresolved disagreements persist.
Summary: President Trump said he has been in regular contact with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskiy and is hopeful about ending the nearly three-year-old war in Ukraine. He declined to give details about a recent call with Putin but called his conversations with both leaders "good," and cautioned that personal animosity between the two presidents is complicating progress despite reports of a largely agreed 20-point framework.