US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he does not want to “waste time” and only wants to end the war in Ukraine, warning in a Fox News interview that the conflict could become “a rough situation” if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not cooperate on peace efforts.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he can end the conflict swiftly, said any settlement would involve Kyiv making territorial concessions.
“Ukraine is going to get a lot of land,” he told Fox News, reiterating that the country should not have sought NATO membership.
“I always thought that Ukraine was a buffer between Russia and Europe. Ukraine should not have asked to be in NATO.”
Trump suggested European nations were prepared to expand their involvement in the conflict. “Europe is willing to put people on the ground,” he said, while adding that any eventual security framework for Ukraine would likely exclude NATO. “There will be some form of security, but it can’t be NATO.”
On Putin’s intentions, Trump said: “It’s possible Putin doesn’t want to make a deal. We’re going to find out about Putin in the next couple of weeks.”
He added: “I hope Putin is going to be good. If he’s not, it’s going to be a rough situation.”
Trump also commented on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying, “I think Zelenskyy and Putin [are] doing okay.” He suggested his approach would be to let the two leaders engage directly. “I thought I’d first let them meet, they haven’t been exactly best friends. It only matters if we get things done.”
Pressure mounts on Trump for Ukraine ceasefire
The remarks came after a high-stakes round of diplomacy that brought European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington on Monday. Trump had met Putin in Alaska last week in talks that failed to produce a ceasefire, but insisted on Monday that “a peace deal is within reach” as he welcomed Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the White House.
“Everyone would prefer an immediate ceasefire,” Trump told reporters, but argued that negotiations could continue while the fighting went on. “I wish they could stop, I’d like them to stop. But strategically that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other.”
European leaders pressed Trump to push Putin for a truce before advancing toward a settlement. Macron said any framework had to include Europe, telling Trump: “When we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent.” Merz echoed that position, saying, “Let’s work on that and let’s try to put pressure on Russia.”
Putin’s position and Trump’s task
At the Alaska summit, Trump had adopted Putin’s preference for a comprehensive peace deal rather than an immediate ceasefire. Putin offered a halt to fighting along current battle lines in exchange for Ukraine formally ceding the Donbas region and recognising Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea — conditions Kyiv has consistently rejected.
Trump also struck a more conciliatory note toward Ukraine’s leader, after past tense encounters. “I think Zelenskyy and Putin [are] doing okay,” he said. “I thought I’d first let them meet — they haven’t been exactly best friends. It only matters if we get things done.”
Trump has signaled support for European-led security guarantees, describing them as “NATO-like” but outside the alliance’s formal structures. “They want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we’ll help them out with that. I think it’s very important to get the deal done,” he said.
According to Trump, Putin has indicated Russia would accept such guarantees for Ukraine, a point the U.S. president described as “very significant.” He has also said he is ready to attend a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy in the near future to try to seal an agreement.
The Alaska talks, however, underscored the distance still to go. While Trump hailed Putin’s openness to guarantees, the Russian president has not budged from demands for Ukrainian territory. Overnight Russian strikes killed at least seven people in Ukraine, including two children, and Russian forces made new advances in the eastern Donbas.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he can end the conflict swiftly, said any settlement would involve Kyiv making territorial concessions.
“Ukraine is going to get a lot of land,” he told Fox News, reiterating that the country should not have sought NATO membership.
“I always thought that Ukraine was a buffer between Russia and Europe. Ukraine should not have asked to be in NATO.”
Trump suggested European nations were prepared to expand their involvement in the conflict. “Europe is willing to put people on the ground,” he said, while adding that any eventual security framework for Ukraine would likely exclude NATO. “There will be some form of security, but it can’t be NATO.”
On Putin’s intentions, Trump said: “It’s possible Putin doesn’t want to make a deal. We’re going to find out about Putin in the next couple of weeks.”
He added: “I hope Putin is going to be good. If he’s not, it’s going to be a rough situation.”
Trump also commented on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying, “I think Zelenskyy and Putin [are] doing okay.” He suggested his approach would be to let the two leaders engage directly. “I thought I’d first let them meet, they haven’t been exactly best friends. It only matters if we get things done.”
"What has surprised you the most between Zelensky and Putin ... ?"@POTUS: "I think the fact that maybe they're getting along a little bit better than I thought, otherwise I wouldn't have set up the [bilateral] meeting, I would've set up a three — a trilat." pic.twitter.com/Y7kGg2MWF4
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 19, 2025
Pressure mounts on Trump for Ukraine ceasefire
The remarks came after a high-stakes round of diplomacy that brought European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington on Monday. Trump had met Putin in Alaska last week in talks that failed to produce a ceasefire, but insisted on Monday that “a peace deal is within reach” as he welcomed Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the White House.
“Everyone would prefer an immediate ceasefire,” Trump told reporters, but argued that negotiations could continue while the fighting went on. “I wish they could stop, I’d like them to stop. But strategically that could be a disadvantage for one side or the other.”
European leaders pressed Trump to push Putin for a truce before advancing toward a settlement. Macron said any framework had to include Europe, telling Trump: “When we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent.” Merz echoed that position, saying, “Let’s work on that and let’s try to put pressure on Russia.”
Putin’s position and Trump’s task
At the Alaska summit, Trump had adopted Putin’s preference for a comprehensive peace deal rather than an immediate ceasefire. Putin offered a halt to fighting along current battle lines in exchange for Ukraine formally ceding the Donbas region and recognising Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea — conditions Kyiv has consistently rejected.
Trump also struck a more conciliatory note toward Ukraine’s leader, after past tense encounters. “I think Zelenskyy and Putin [are] doing okay,” he said. “I thought I’d first let them meet — they haven’t been exactly best friends. It only matters if we get things done.”
Trump has signaled support for European-led security guarantees, describing them as “NATO-like” but outside the alliance’s formal structures. “They want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we’ll help them out with that. I think it’s very important to get the deal done,” he said.
According to Trump, Putin has indicated Russia would accept such guarantees for Ukraine, a point the U.S. president described as “very significant.” He has also said he is ready to attend a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy in the near future to try to seal an agreement.
The Alaska talks, however, underscored the distance still to go. While Trump hailed Putin’s openness to guarantees, the Russian president has not budged from demands for Ukrainian territory. Overnight Russian strikes killed at least seven people in Ukraine, including two children, and Russian forces made new advances in the eastern Donbas.
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