President Donald Trump has declared that he believes Vladimir Putin is ready to agree to end the war in Ukraine, and that a settlement could be reached before his term expires in January 2029. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he repeatedly tells the Russian leader that “it’s time for you to stop”, and that “I think he’s ready to make a deal. And soon.” The remarks came as Moscow issued a fresh warning that any multinational force deployed by Ukraine’s Western allies after a ceasefire would be considered a legitimate military target.

Viewed from Washington, the president’s optimism reflects an administration that sees itself as the indispensable mediator. Trump has coupled his outreach to Putin with public approval of Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, describing them as “an escalation that can help put an end” to the conflict. The White House also signalled a policy shift by indicating it would allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air-defence missiles domestically. In Moscow, however, officials tempered expectations. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said any Western troop presence would be treated as a hostile act, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that the United States had indicated a readiness to return to mediation only after resolving tensions in the Gulf. Russian legislators added that Trump was “not the worst mediator” but that any deal would have to be on terms acceptable to Russia.

Ukrainian and European positions further complicate the diplomatic picture. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met Trump on the sidelines of a NATO summit, said Kyiv expects to develop the technical capacity to produce Patriot missiles by the end of 2026. European members of the “coalition of the willing” reaffirmed plans to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities cease, a proposal Moscow has flatly rejected. On the battlefield, Ukraine struck a thermal power station in Russian-occupied Crimea, while Russian drone and missile attacks on Odesa killed three people. Despite Trump’s assertion that both sides want a resolution, US officials have acknowledged that no substantive progress has been made in negotiations, and the Kremlin has accused Washington of failing to honour understandings reached during earlier talks in Anchorage.

The diplomatic track remains in a holding pattern. Trump’s timeline has shifted repeatedly since his campaign pledge to end the war in 24 hours, and his latest forecast extends the horizon to the end of his term. Iranian media reported that a subsequent telephone conversation between Trump and Putin resulted in an agreement for senior US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Russia, though this has not been confirmed by other capitals. For now, no formal negotiations are scheduled, and the next concrete step is expected to be a direct call between the two presidents, which Trump said he would initiate after his meeting with Zelenskyy but which has yet to take place.