United States President Donald Trump has expressed optimism that Ukraine and Russia may agree to a permanent ceasefire deal “this week”, hinting that both nations could shift focus towards bolstering economic ties with Washington.
President Trump’s comments arrive amid mounting uncertainty over the future of American diplomatic involvement, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that the United States may soon reconsider its mediatory role should current negotiations falter.
“Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week,” President Trump said. “Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, thriving and making a fortune!”
The latest ceasefire—an agreed 30-hour pause in hostilities—expired at midnight on Monday without any formal extension. Both Moscow and Kyiv have since accused one another of violating the temporary truce. The Russian Defence Ministry reported approximately 1,300 breaches, including artillery fire and drone incursions.
President Trump has, since assuming office in January, frequently signalled his intent to end the conflict swiftly. His administration has undertaken several rounds of shuttle diplomacy, including engineering a 30-day moratorium on attacks against energy infrastructure in March. That deal too broke down amidst mutual recriminations.
In recent days, multiple reports have pointed to Washington’s efforts to establish “a full and comprehensive ceasefire including the cessation of hostilities from both to restore order.”
A separate report on Friday suggested that a senior US official, possibly Charles Witkoff, was leading attempts to ascertain the positions of both Moscow and Kyiv in direct negotiations.
Speaking to reporters last week, Secretary Rubio warned that the US may abandon its peace initiative if a breakthrough is not achieved imminently. “We need to figure out here, now, within a matter of days, whether this is doable,” he said. “If it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on.”
He described the latest plan as a “broad framework” for resolution, although he declined to disclose its specifics.
President Trump endorsed Rubio’s remarks, adding that Washington “wants to see the conflict resolved” and asserting, “There is a good chance of solving the problem.”
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained publicly silent following his meeting with President Trump and Senator JD Vance at the White House, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his longstanding conditions for peace.
Putin has repeatedly insisted that any settlement must address the “root causes” of the war—chief among them, halting NATO’s eastward expansion, Ukraine’s formal abandonment of its NATO aspirations, and recognition of the annexed Crimean peninsula as Russian territory.
Meanwhile, Russian envoy to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, dismissed the notion of a full ceasefire at this juncture, saying, “It is simply unrealistic at this stage,” and accused Western powers of using negotiations as a pretext to rearm Ukraine.
Also read: US to exit Russia-Ukraine talks if negotiations fail: Trump
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