How far away is peace in Ukraine? Trump, Zelenskyy, Putin statements on the war

Takeaways

• What does Trump really think about the prospects for peace between Ukraine and Russia?
• Could the US really pull out of negotiations on the war?
• What did Zelenskyy say during his meeting with Trump at the Vatican?
• Is Putin threatening with nuclear weapons again?

Trump: 'Maybe it’s not possible to do'

US president Donald Trump, who had previously repeatedly claimed he could "stop the war in 24 hours," is saying more and more often that achieving it is harder than he expected. Still, he does allow for the possibility of a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.

In his interview for NBC’s Meet the Press, he said that the US is closer to one of the sides in negotiations to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war. But he didn't specify which side.

The American president was asked whether the conclusion of a deal on natural resources between Kyiv and Washington brought the peace deal between Ukraine and Russia closer. Trump says he hopes so.

"I do believe we’re closer (to the deal - ed.) with one party, and maybe not as close with the other. But we’ll have to see. I’d like to not say which one we’re closer to," he said.

Trump also suggested that a moment might come when the US withdraws from its role as mediator between Ukraine and Russia. But he refused to clarify what could become the red line for that.

"Well, there will be a time when I will say, 'Okay, keep going. Keep being stupid and keep fighting.' Sometimes I get close to it, and then positive things happen, okay? So I hope it gets done... Maybe it’s not possible to do. There’s tremendous hatred (between Ukraine and Russia -ed.)," Trump added.

Nevertheless, the US president also does not rule out signing senator Lindsey Graham's bill on new sanctions against Russia. According to him, it will depend on Moscow’s behavior.

"Well, it depends on whether or not Russia is behaving toward coming to a peace. We want a peace deal. We want Russia and Ukraine to agree to a deal. We think we’re fairly close, and we’re going to save a lot of people from being killed. Going to save a lot of money, too," Trump said.

Trump once again stated that he needs "two weeks or a month" to determine whether the Russian leader Vladimir Putin is "tapping him along."

The American leader also acknowledged that Russia’s goal is to capture all territories of Ukraine, not just hold on to the already occupied regions. While Trump believes that Moscow wants to seize all of Ukraine, he claims his intervention allegedly lessened Putin’s ambitions.

Trump was asked what territories Russia would have to give up under a possible peace agreement with Ukraine. He replied: "All of Ukraine." When asked to clarify whether he meant that Russia should not keep a single occupied piece of Ukrainian land, Trump explained.

"No, no. Russia would have to give up all of Ukraine. Because what Russia wants is all of Ukraine. And if I didn’t get involved, they would be fighting right now for all of Ukraine. Russia doesn’t want the strip that they have now; Russia wants all of Ukraine. And if it weren’t me, they would keep going," Trump said.

While returning to the White House after the weekend in Florida, the US president said that he and his advisers allegedly had "very good discussions" in recent days regarding Ukraine and Russia. He did not share any details.

When Trump was asked whether he planned to meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia during his upcoming trip to the Middle East later this month, he replied that he "hadn’t thought about it."

Zelenskyy: 'The tools to end the war are in the hands of the US and European partners'

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, May 3, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that the meeting in the Vatican influenced Trump’s position.

The Ukrainian leader called the talk "the best we’ve ever had" and expressed confidence that after this meeting Trump began to see the situation from a different angle. He emphasized that the one-on-one format proved very successful and also shared that he raised the topic of air defense systems and received a positive response.

"I told Trump about the (needed for Ukraine - ed.) quantity. He replied that they would work on it. These are not free things. And I would like us to have access to purchase American weapons," Zelenskyy said.

The president added that the Kremlin reacts hostilely to any proposal not coming from them. In Zelenskyy’s opinion, that will not change without strong sanctions and other pressure on Putin. He emphasized that the US has not for the first time received reasons from Russia for why they are not stopping the war.

"Witkoff (US president special envoy - ed.) showed the proposals, and, clearly, the proposals were not accepted by the Russians. I think he was very surprised because, from the hugs of the first meetings and dinners, first warm-ups, I think he is entering a phase where everything will get worse and worse," Zelenskyy said.

Among other things, the president of Ukraine also commented on Putin's initiative for a three-day ceasefire on May 8-10. He called it a theatrical performance, stressing that in two or three days "no plan for the next steps to end the war can be developed."

He believes that Putin's proposals are related to his pretending to respond to signals allegedly offered by the US through special envoy Witkoff.

The president continues to insist that Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire "even from today." But Kyiv insists on an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, according to the strategy proposed by the US.

"To play games to create a soft atmosphere of Putin’s exit from isolation on May 9, so that everyone feels comfortable and safe — those leaders, or friends, or partners of Putin who will come, for one reason or another, to Red Square on May 9 — no one will help Putin with that. We are either in a war, or Putin shows that he is ready for a ceasefire, for the first part of ending the war. We are ready to start on the 1st, the 3rd, the 5th. If he needs the date of the 7th — we don’t care. From the 7th — 30 days," Zelenskyy said.

According to him, although Russia says it wants a three-day ceasefire, the frontline is currently seeing the highest number of battles in recent months. So, there is no trust in Moscow, and the president warns that provocations may come from the enemy.

He added that it is impossible to achieve a complete ceasefire without high-quality monitoring. The president believes that all the tools needed to end the war are currently in the hands of the United States and European partners. Moscow has to be forced to agree to a complete and unconditional ceasefire.

"But the Russians must know that we are counting on 3 million artillery shells. And it won’t be just North Korea helping them. We have allies that support Ukraine. It doesn’t mean that someone wants a long war — we want to end it. And all wars do end. Long-standing dictatorial regimes always come to an end too," the president said.

He also commented on statements about a potential US exit from the negotiation process. He believes the EU countries will stay by Ukraine's side in any case.

"You can see how difficult it is to take even the first step — establishing a ceasefire. Imagine how issues of territory and sanctions will be discussed. And that’s why there are such signals suggesting that, perhaps, after a ceasefire is reached, some countries would want us and the Russians to be left one-on-one. But I am confident that Europe will be there," the president said.

Putin: 'I hope nuclear weapons won’t be needed'

The Russian leader believes that despite the ongoing war unleashed by the Kremlin against Ukraine, Russians and Ukrainians will be able to reconcile. Putin made this statement in an interview with Russian propagandists included in the film Russia. Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years.

"I think it’s inevitable. Despite all the tragedy we are experiencing now. It’s a matter of time," Putin was quoted as saying by Meduza.

The Kremlin leader once again brought up the subject of nuclear weapons. He claimed that Moscow allegedly had "no plans and “no need” to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine from the very beginning of the full-scale war. Putin cynically stated that the West “tried to provoke Russia” by allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western missiles.

"They wanted to provoke us, to make us err. But there was no need to use the weapons you just mentioned (nuclear weapons – ed.), and I hope there won’t be. We have enough forces and means to bring to a logical conclusion what we started in 2022 with an outcome that suits Russia," he added.

The Russian leader once again repeated his version that the occupation of Crimea was "forced" and that Russia acted to "support” the residents of the peninsula.

"We were simply forced in 2014 to decide to support the people of Crimea and Sevastopol. Because any other course of action would have meant abandoning them to their fate. I understood that it would inevitably come with serious well-known difficulties. And that’s how it turned out: sanctions were introduced immediately in 2014. And I think we did the right thing then," Putin believes.

Ceasefire negotiations

Washington continues negotiations with Kyiv and Moscow on ending the Russian-Ukrainian war. Through shuttle diplomacy, the parties had earlier reached a preliminary agreement on a 30-day ceasefire.

Ukraine agreed to the US terms to suspend hostilities in the Black Sea and to refrain from striking Russian energy infrastructure for 30 days. In return, Moscow merely promised to refrain from targeting Ukraine’s energy system, but even that promise has been repeatedly violated.

After that, the Kremlin announced a 30-hour pause in hostilities in Ukraine on Easter, calling it a “humanitarian” gesture. Later, Putin proposed a ceasefire from May 8 to 10 to mark Victory Day, which is lavishly celebrated in Russia.

However, Moscow has not taken concrete steps toward a complete ceasefire and continues to stall. Washington, meanwhile, wants the parties to reach an agreement as soon as possible. Secretary of state Marco Rubio warned that the US might withdraw from the negotiation process if there are no signs of progress.

US vice president JD Vance acknowledged that a "big gulf" between Ukraine and Russia remains, but the US plans to work over the next 100 days to help bridge it.

Sources: statements by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press briefing, an interview by US leader Donald Trump for NBC’s Meet the Press, and statements by Russian leader Vladimir Putin as quoted by Meduza.