Trump Pressures Russia to Speed Up Ukraine Ceasefire as Envoy Meets Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Russia to accelerate its efforts to end the war in Ukraine, calling the ongoing conflict “senseless” and demanding immediate action. His statement came just hours before U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff concluded another round of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg.

Trump, speaking via his Truth Social platform, reiterated his frustration, stating, “Russia has to get moving,” and emphasized that the war — now in its third year — “should have never happened.” His remarks follow earlier comments in which he expressed being “pissed off” with Putin over stalled ceasefire negotiations.

Despite multiple rounds of talks between U.S. and Russian officials, little progress has been made toward a formal ceasefire. Witkoff’s latest meeting with Putin, held at the presidential library, lasted four and a half hours. The Kremlin issued a brief statement confirming that discussions “focused on various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement,” but offered no further details.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had cautioned ahead of the meeting that no breakthroughs were expected. When asked about a possible future Trump-Putin summit, he responded, “maybe,” without elaborating.

Witkoff’s Praise and Ceasefire Challenges

Witkoff, a close Trump ally and real estate developer, has previously described Putin as a “great leader” and “not a bad guy,” signaling a shift in tone from Washington since Trump’s return to office. Still, Trump’s push for a rapid ceasefire has yielded little tangible progress.

Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, floated a provocative idea in a recent interview with The Times: the deployment of British and French troops in western Ukraine under a “reassurance force” model, with a demilitarized zone separating them from Russian-controlled areas — similar to Cold War-era Berlin.

Clarifying his comments later on X (formerly Twitter), Kellogg stated, “I was speaking of a post-ceasefire resiliency force in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty,” stressing that any allied presence would not include U.S. troops.

China Enters the Picture

Tensions have further escalated amid reports from Kyiv that hundreds of Chinese nationals are fighting alongside Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed two Chinese fighters were captured in Donetsk and accused Moscow of “prolonging the war using Chinese lives.”

The Kremlin has dismissed the allegations as false, and Beijing cautioned all parties against making “irresponsible remarks.”

Zelensky also criticized Russia for rejecting a U.S.-backed full ceasefire proposal that had Ukraine’s approval. The Kremlin reportedly made any truce in the Black Sea region conditional on the lifting of certain Western sanctions — a demand rejected by Kyiv and its allies.

Fragile Diplomacy and Prisoner Swaps

Despite the diplomatic deadlock over the war, small signs of engagement continue. On Thursday, Russia released dual U.S.-Russian citizen and ballet dancer Ksenia Karelina — who had been imprisoned for “treason” after donating around $50 to a Ukrainian charity — in exchange for suspected technology smuggler Arthur Petrov.

It was the second such exchange in recent weeks. Russian intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that further prisoner swaps are being considered, calling the exchanges a potential step toward rebuilding trust — severely damaged during President Joe Biden’s administration.

“It helps build trust, which is much needed,” said Lavrov. “But it will take a long time to finally restore it.”