US President Donald Trump on Thursday delivered one of his strongest warnings yet about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, cautioning that the war’s current trajectory could push the world towards a catastrophic global confrontation. “Things like this end up in third world wars,” he said, urging an immediate halt to the fighting as he revealed that 25,000 people — “mostly soldiers” — were killed in the past month alone.Speaking at the White House after signing an Executive Order on artificial intelligence regulation, Trump said he was “working very hard” to stop the bloodshed and expressed deep frustration over the lack of progress in US-led negotiations. “I’d like to see the killing stop… I would love to see it stop,” he told reporters.
US frustration grows as peace talks stall
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President was “extremely frustrated with both sides of this war” and “sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting.” She confirmed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his team were holding discussions with Ukrainian and Russian officials “literally as we speak,” but added that it remained “up in the air” whether the US would send a representative to talks scheduled for this weekend.Trump, who once claimed he could resolve the war “in a day,” has become increasingly vocal about his impatience. “He doesn’t want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end,” Leavitt said.Ukraine has put forward a 20-point plan detailing settlement terms, including separate documents on security guarantees. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was grateful for Washington’s engagement but warned that territorial questions — such as control of the Donetsk region and the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — remain far from resolved. Any concessions, he insisted, would require approval by national referendum.Ukrainian officials say the US has suggested a “free economic zone” in parts of the Donbas, while Russia frames the idea as a “demilitarised zone.” Kyiv is resisting any arrangement that would cement Russian influence. Zelenskyy said compromises under discussion included Ukrainian forces withdrawing from Donetsk on the condition Russian forces do not enter — but stressed that any pullback would require equal withdrawals by Russia.
Europe steps in as battlefield pressure rises
European leaders are scrambling to shape the negotiations amid concerns that Trump’s push for a rapid settlement could leave Ukraine at a disadvantage. Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron have proposed finalising peace proposals with the US over the weekend, warning that the talks are now at “a critical moment.”Russia, meanwhile, is attempting to show it is responsive to Trump’s peace efforts, submitting new “collective security” proposals to Washington. On the battlefield, President Vladimir Putin claimed Russian forces were “fully holding the strategic initiative” and had captured the city of Siversk — a claim Ukraine denies.Ukraine also struck back with long-range drones, hitting a Russian oil rig in the Caspian Sea and forcing Moscow’s airports to halt flights for several hours.
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