WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a dramatic escalation of his diplomatic push to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday implored Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt the bloodshed along current front lines and negotiate a swift peace agreement, declaring that "enough blood has been shed" and both nations should "claim victory" while letting "history decide."
The impassioned call came hours after a two-hour closed-door meeting at the White House between Trump and Zelenskyy, where the Ukrainian leader pressed for advanced U.S. weaponry, including long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, to bolster Kyiv's defenses against Russian advances. Trump, however, signaled reluctance to escalate arms shipments, emphasizing instead a rapid diplomatic resolution modeled on his recent brokering of a Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. "The meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was very interesting, and cordial, but I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform shortly after Zelenskyy departed the Oval Office.
Trump's remarks marked a pivotal moment in the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and strained global economies through energy disruptions and food supply shocks. The conflict, ignited by Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, has seen grueling trench warfare reminiscent of World War I, with Russian forces currently occupying roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, parts of Donbas, and swaths of the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Trump's intervention arrives amid battlefield stalemates, where Ukrainian counteroffensives have reclaimed some ground but at immense cost, and Russian missile barrages continue to target civilian infrastructure, leaving millions without power as winter approaches.
"No more shooting, no more Death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent," Trump continued in his post. "Thousands of people being slaughtered each and every week — NO MORE, GO HOME TO YOUR FAMILIES IN PEACE!" He reiterated a familiar refrain: "The war would have never started if I were President," alluding to his first term when he touted stronger NATO alliances and personal rapport with Putin as deterrents to aggression. Flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during the Zelenskyy talks, Trump framed the conflict as an "inglorious" quagmire that both sides could resolve by freezing lines where they stand. "Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!" he added, echoing sentiments from his Thursday phone call with Putin.
The White House summit, held in the Cabinet Room, was Zelenskyy's sixth in-person visit with Trump since the U.S. leader's January 2025 inauguration. Zelenskyy, dressed in his signature olive drab military jacket, arrived amid fresh Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy grids overnight, which Kyiv officials said killed at least 12 civilians and blacked out parts of the capital. In a joint press availability afterward, Zelenskyy congratulated Trump on the Middle East truce, calling it "momentum" for Ukraine, but stressed the asymmetry: "We want peace. Putin doesn't want. That's why we need pressure on him." He described the talks as "productive," hinting at potential U.S. commitments to air defenses and reconstruction aid, but avoided specifics on missiles to prevent "escalation."
At the heart of the discussions was Ukraine's fervent request for Tomahawk missiles, which have a 1,500-mile range and could strike deep into Russian territory, potentially targeting command centers and logistics hubs. Zelenskyy has lobbied for them for months, arguing they would force Putin to the table by demonstrating Kyiv's resolve without relying solely on NATO troops. Trump, who earlier in the week floated the idea as leverage—"I might say to [Putin], 'Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks'"—appeared to backpedal post-Putin call. "Hopefully, we'll be able to get over with the war without thinking about Tomahawks," he told reporters, citing U.S. stockpiles needed for domestic defense. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later confirmed Putin had warned Trump that such transfers would "cause substantial damage" to bilateral ties and derail peace prospects.
This hesitation underscores Trump's broader strategy: diplomacy over armament. His overtures build on an August 2025 summit in Anchorage, Alaska, where he and Putin spent three hours discussing ceasefires but yielded no breakthroughs, drawing criticism for its red-carpet treatment of the Russian leader. That meeting, Trump's first in-person with Putin since returning to office, focused on freezing front lines in exchange for Russian withdrawal from annexed areas—a proposal Moscow has since hardened against, demanding Ukrainian "demilitarization" and recognition of Crimea as Russian.
Thursday's two-hour call with Putin, described by Trump as "very productive," paved the way for escalated talks. The U.S. president announced that high-level delegations—led by Rubio for Washington and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for Moscow—would convene next week to hammer out agendas. This will precede a Trump-Putin summit in Budapest, Hungary, slated for "within two weeks," hosted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a vocal Putin ally within the EU. Orban hailed the venue on X as "the island of PEACE," underscoring Budapest's role as a neutral ground despite Hungary's EU membership and its occasional vetoes of Ukraine aid packages. Analysts note the choice of Hungary raises eyebrows, given Orban's criticism of NATO's eastern flank and his refusal to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes.
The war's toll provides grim urgency to these maneuvers. Since 2022, Ukraine reports over 500,000 military casualties, with civilian deaths exceeding 10,000 confirmed by the UN, though underreporting is rife. Russia's economy, battered by sanctions, has pivoted to wartime production, boosting GDP through military spending but inflating prices and isolating Moscow from Western markets. Ukraine, meanwhile, faces a $500 billion reconstruction bill, with its agricultural heartlands—once the "breadbasket of Europe"—devastated, contributing to global food inflation that peaked at 14% in 2023. U.S. aid alone has topped $175 billion under Trump, including $60 billion in weapons since his second term began, but congressional Republicans have grown wary of "blank checks" amid domestic priorities like border security.
European allies, gathering in Brussels for a NATO defense ministers' meeting this weekend, expressed cautious optimism but urged inclusivity. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for "no deals over Ukraine's head," while French President Emmanuel Macron floated deploying European peacekeepers post-ceasefire. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed Zelenskyy's missile plea, warning that "half-measures embolden aggressors." Poland and the Baltics, fearing Russian revanchism, have ramped up border fortifications, with Warsaw alone allocating €10 billion for defenses.
From Kyiv's perspective, Trump's freeze-the-lines idea evokes painful echoes of the Minsk agreements, which critics say legitimized Russian gains without security guarantees. Zelenskyy, in a post-meeting X thread, affirmed Ukraine's "red lines": full territorial restoration, war crimes prosecutions, and NATO/EU accession paths. "President Trump has a big chance now to finish this war," he said, but added that Putin must first withdraw from occupied zones, including those illegally annexed in 2022. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, briefing EU counterparts, stressed that any deal must include repatriation of 19,000 abducted children and demining of 150,000 square kilometers of farmland.
Moscow's stance remains opaque but defiant. Putin, in a rare televised address Thursday, praised Trump's "pragmatism" and Middle East successes but reiterated demands for Ukraine's neutrality and denazification—code for regime change in Kyiv. Russian state media framed the Budapest talks as validation of the "special military operation," with pundits speculating on post-war trade windfalls, including U.S. energy deals Trump teased in his Putin call. Yet, battlefield reports from Luhansk indicate Russian gains of just 100 meters per day, underscoring the attritional grind Trump decries.
Trump's peacemaking bid also intersects domestic politics. With midterms looming in 2026, the president faces pressure from his MAGA base, which views endless Ukraine funding as a "swamp" drain, and from hawks like Sen. Lindsey Graham, who demand Putin pay reparations. A successful deal could burnish Trump's legacy as the "ultimate dealmaker," especially after Gaza, where he secured hostage releases and a 60-day truce extended indefinitely. Failure, however, risks accusations of appeasement, reminiscent of Munich 1938.
As delegations prepare for next week's preparatory huddle—possibly in Vienna or Geneva—the world watches Budapest. Will it yield a Minsk III, or merely photo-ops? Experts like Fiona Hill, former Trump NSC advisor, caution that Putin's history of bad-faith negotiations demands ironclad verification mechanisms, perhaps UN-monitored. For now, Trump's blunt plea resonates: In a war of attrition, peace may indeed be the ultimate victory.
Zelenskyy departed Washington for Brussels, vowing to rally European support. "We fight not for land, but for a future," he said. Trump, boarding Air Force One for Florida, quipped to reporters: "Yup, I can end this." The killing fields of Donbas await proof.
