‘We’ve never been closer to a peace deal’ in Ukraine, says White House ahead of Trump-Putin talks
by Josef Al Shemary · LBCBy Josef Al Shemary
The White House said Trump is ‘determined’ to get a peace deal in Ukraine over the line, as the US president gears up for talks for Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
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Katherine Leavitt, the White House press secretary, made the comments on Monday as Europe holds its breath for the outcome of the phone call between Trump and Putin.
"We are on the 10th-yard line of peace and we've never been closer to a peace deal than we are in this moment,” she said.
"The president is determined to get one done," she added.
Leavitt didn’t rule out US sanctions on Russia, however, saying “It's something the president has floated, and certainly he's willing to do if necessary."
The US is expected to try to win Russian support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week, but comments made by Donald Trump on Monday morning suggest a deal that involves ‘dividing up assets’.
"We want to see if we can bring that war to an end," the US president told reporters on Air Force One.
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He said territory and infrastructure would form the basis of his talks with Putin.
"We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants," adding that the discussions would focus on "dividing up certain assets."
The Kremlin has so far rejected calls for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, with Sir Keir Starmer accusing Putin of “delaying” peace, while French president Emmanuel Macron has said the Russian president "does not seem to be sincerely seeking peace.”
Despite this failure to agree a deal, the White House has insisted Putin is making "a constructive effort" and that the upcoming call with Trump showed there was "positive momentum".
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Speaking from Air Force One on Sunday evening, Trump said he hopes tomorrow’s conversation will bring the war “to an end.”
He said: "We will see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday. I will be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday.
"A lot of work's been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end."
The call comes ahead of talks between military chiefs, dubbed the “coalition of the willing”, on Thursday.
Following a virtual meeting on Saturday with the leaders of 26 other nations, plus representatives from the EU and Nato, Sir Keir said there had been "new commitments" offered and planning would now move into an "operational phase".
"Stop and agree to a ceasefire now", he said.
"We won’t sit back and wait for Putin to act, instead we will keep pushing forward".
Sir Keir said that the coalition will put pressure on Russia and "weaken their war machine" if Putin rejects a peace deal.
"President Zelenskyy has shown once again and without any doubt that Ukraine is the party of peace... but Putin is trying to delay, saying there must be a painstaking study before a ceasefire can take place.
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"But the world needs action. My message is very clear, Putin will have to come to the table, so this is the moment, let the guns fall silent, let the barbaric attacks on Ukraine stop once and for all," he continued.
Sir Keir said Russia's "appetite for conflict and chaos undermines our security at home here in the United Kingdom".
As leaders meet and talks continue, fighting rages on in Ukraine, with a leaked Kyiv report claiming at least 70,000 Ukrainians had died since Putin launched his invasion.