WASHINGTON DC – US President Donald Trump on Friday offered a characteristically measured – if opaque – assessment of ongoing efforts to broker peace in Ukraine.
“Let’s see what happens. We’re working on seeing if we can make a deal right now. We’re going to see. We’ll know soon, I guess. We’re going to see a lot of death,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, citing staggering casualty numbers. “Last month… 25,000 soldiers were killed in Ukraine and Russia. Twenty-five thousand – can you imagine that? It’s ridiculous,” he said.
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Pressed on the mechanics of his proposed “free economic zone” in the Donbas – territory seized by Russia in 2014 and contested during the current conflict – Trump demurred.
“Well, I don’t want to do that now. It’s a very complex situation, but it would work, and a lot of people want to see it work,” he said, adding, “All I want to do is stop the death of 25,000 people a month,”
Diplomatic offensive
Behind the scenes, the White House is mobilizing to translate that broad vision into a tangible negotiating strategy.
A US official briefed on the matter confirmed that White House peace envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, will meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Berlin in the coming days.
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Before the high-level summit, Witkoff is scheduled to meet with national security advisers from France, Britain, and Germany on Sunday and potentially Monday, according to the official.
The move underscores Washington’s growing urgency to bridge remaining gaps with Kyiv over the plan’s terms.
French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to attend the Monday session.
Notably, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be participating in this round of talks, as he is not expected to travel to Europe this weekend.
Unity on Western front
A French presidency official told reporters Friday night that Ukraine, the US, and European powers are still working to craft a joint position that could form the foundation of a peace deal.
That includes potential security guarantees for Kyiv that could be presented to Moscow.
“Our goal is to have a common foundation that is solid for negotiation. This common ground must unite Ukrainians, Americans, and Europeans,” the official said, adding, “It should allow us, together, to make a negotiating offer, a solid, lasting peace offer that respects international law and Ukraine’s sovereign interests, an offer that American negotiators are willing to bring to the Russians.”
While no joint document has been finalized, talks will continue through a series of calls and meetings in the coming days, the official added.
Western diplomats involved in the discussions, speaking exclusively to Kyiv Post on condition of anonymity, characterized the current stage as “preparatory, yet delicate,” emphasizing that the clock is ticking as the human cost of conflict mounts.
“The challenge isn’t Moscow right now, it’s Kyiv and Washington agreeing on the ultimate price of peace,” a senior Western official involved in the talks said, speaking candidly on the condition of anonymity.
“We have the broad stroke, but turning ‘Let’s make a deal’ into a viable document requires a lot of sleepless nights in Berlin,” another European diplomat added.
For now, Trump’s approach remains open-ended, reflecting a blend of caution and unpredictability that has become his hallmark.
“We’ll see,” he said, almost as a mantra, as the administration prepares to test whether its high-profile envoys can turn words into a workable roadmap for peace.
The question now is whether the “art of the deal’ can truly be applied to the art of war – or if the administration’s high-stakes gamble will simply blow up on the tarmac in Berlin.