U.S. President Donald Trump has said he hopes to achieve a lasting ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine quickly. He believes this will lay the groundwork for a long-term peace agreement and restore stability in Eastern Europe.
Trump said this during a press conference in Washington on Thursday following his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
“Many of the things that we do are based on common sense. If you want peace, you have to talk, both sides,” he said.
According to Trump, “the next step we are making is toward a very achievable ceasefire.” He expressed optimism that “that can happen quickly,” bringing an end to the loss of thousands of lives in the war.
“This will lay the groundwork for a long-term peace agreement that will return stability to Eastern Europe and hopefully ensure that such a terrible war will never happen on European soil, or for that matter, anywhere again,” Trump said.
He noted that he had briefed the British PM on U.S. efforts to end the war. According to Trump, these efforts include discussions with both sides of the conflict, consultations with G7 leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Washington on Monday, and a scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.
Trump also mentioned having “historic” phone calls with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which he described as “very successful.” He stated that efforts to end the war have made “a lot of progress,” expressing confidence that “it’s moving along pretty rapidly.”
