Trump Says Russia, Ukraine ‘Very Close’ to Reaching Peace Deal

This comes after U.S. special envoy Steven Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Friday.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump step off Air Force One upon arrival at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome on April 25, 2025. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Russia and Ukraine are “very close” to reaching a peace deal that will bring an end to the war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump stated on social media on Friday.

His post follows U.S. special envoy Steven Witkoff’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Friday. Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, described the three-hour meeting as “constructive” and “very useful,” but did not provide further details, Russia’s news outlet TASS reported.

“They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off,’” Trump stated in a Truth Social post after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral.

Trump said that “most of the major points” have been agreed to, though he offered no details, while calling on both nations to “stop the bloodshed” and end the war altogether.

Ushakov said the meeting focused on “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine.” Witkoff has not yet publicly commented on the meeting.

“This conversation allowed Russia and the United States to further bring their positions closer together, not only on Ukraine but also on a number of other international issues,” Ushakov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with Trump in Rome on Saturday, his spokesman Serhii Nykyforov said. He did not provide further details about the meeting.

Steven Cheung, White House communications director, said “President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion. More details about the meeting will follow.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told CBS News on Thursday that Russia is “ready to reach a deal,” but said there “are still some specific points—elements of this deal which need to be fine-tuned.”

“The President of the United States believes, and I think rightly so, that we are moving in the right direction,” Lavrov told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” show, but declined to provide further details.

Zelenskyy stated earlier that the war “cannot be resolved without pressure” on Russia to agree to an unconditional cease-fire.

“The lack of sufficient pressure on Russia allows them to import such missiles and other weapons—and to use them here, in Europe,” he stated. “We insist that Russia must immediately and unconditionally agree to a full ceasefire.”

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine had agreed to a U.S. cease-fire proposal 45 days ago and made “a direct proposal” to Russia to halt strikes on civilian targets, but was rejected by Russia.

The war in Ukraine has been ongoing since Putin sent thousands of troops for a full invasion in February 2022. Putin declared an “Easter truce” on April 19, directing his forces to halt all military operations until midnight of April 20. Both sides later accused each other of violating the truce.

Zelenskyy said that he had urged Russia to extend the truce beyond Easter but was rejected. The Russian military said on April 21 that it has resumed the “special military operation” after the truce ended.

The Trump administration has signaled that Ukraine may need to make territorial concessions as part of an agreement with Russia to end the ongoing war. In an interview with Time magazine, Trump said that the Crimean Peninsula will remain under Russian control.

“Crimea will stay with Russia,” Trump said in the interview with Time, published on April 25. “Zelensky understands that, and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time.”

Trump also cast doubt on Ukraine becoming a member of NATO, and said that Ukraine’s push for NATO entry was a contributing factor in the current war.

“I think what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO,” he said. “If that weren’t brought up, there would have been a much better chance that it wouldn’t have started.”

Zelenskyy has reiterated his opposition to Ukraine formally recognizing Russian control over any of its territories.

Trump told reporters on April 18 that the U.S. government would abandon efforts to mediate an end to the war if either side refused to cooperate in reaching a peace deal.

Reuters and Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.