According to the US president, efforts to achieve peace are showing signs of progress, but significant animosity remains between the involved parties.
President Trump has stated that diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine are gaining traction. However, he cautioned that deep-seated resentment persists between the opposing sides.
Speaking to reporters, the US president emphasized his desire to end the conflict, asserting that Ukraine and Russia are “losing 2,500… young men… every single week.”
“I think we’re making progress, but there’s a lot of ill will between the parties,” he stated.
Vice President JD Vance, during a visit to Greenland, echoed these sentiments, noting progress on ceasefires: “we’ve obviously got this energy infrastructure ceasefire [between Russia and Ukraine]; we’ve got a Black Sea commercial ceasefire that I think is almost done, and once we get there, we’ll work on the next stage of the ceasefire.”
These comments come as Russia and the United States are actively engaged in discussions aimed at restoring their relationship and de-escalating the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. On March 18, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the possibility of a ceasefire, agreeing to a 30-day suspension of attacks on energy infrastructure.
However, Russia has accused Ukraine of repeatedly violating this agreement. While Moscow has indicated its intention to uphold the moratorium, it has also warned that it may respond symmetrically if Kiev continues to violate the agreement.
Further negotiations between Russian and US delegations took place this week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. These meetings primarily focused on reviving the 2022 grain deal, which facilitated the export of Ukrainian food through the Black Sea.
Moscow has agreed to this in principle, but insists on the removal of Western sanctions against Russian Agricultural Bank and other financial institutions involved in food and fertilizer sales, which would require reconnecting them to the SWIFT payment system, as a condition for a maritime ceasefire.
The EU, however, has rejected this demand, insisting that sanctions will remain until Russia withdraws its forces from all Ukrainian territories. European Commission Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Anitta Hipper emphasized that “the EU’s main focus remains to maximize pressure on Russia, using all tools available.”