This comes after U.S. special envoy Steven Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Friday.
Russia and Ukraine are “very close” to reaching a peace deal that will bring an end to the war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump stated on social media on Friday.
His post follows U.S. special envoy Steven Witkoff’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Friday. Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, described the three-hour meeting as “constructive” and “very useful,” but did not provide further details, Russia’s news outlet TASS reported.
“They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off,’” Trump stated in a Truth Social post after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral.
Trump said that “most of the major points” have been agreed to, though he offered no details, while calling on both nations to “stop the bloodshed” and end the war altogether.
Ushakov said the meeting focused on “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine.” Witkoff has not yet publicly commented on the meeting.
“This conversation allowed Russia and the United States to further bring their positions closer together, not only on Ukraine but also on a number of other international issues,” Ushakov said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with Trump in Rome on Saturday, his spokesman Serhii Nykyforov said. He did not provide further details about the meeting.
Steven Cheung, White House communications director, said “President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion. More details about the meeting will follow.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told CBS News on Thursday that Russia is “ready to reach a deal,” but said there “are still some specific points—elements of this deal which need to be fine-tuned.”
“The President of the United States believes, and I think rightly so, that we are moving in the right direction,” Lavrov told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” show, but declined to provide further details.
Zelenskyy stated earlier that the war “cannot be resolved without pressure” on Russia to agree to an unconditional cease-fire.
