Trump's Russia-Ukraine plan explained: How the US President intends to end the war
10 February 2025, 15:52
Donald Trump has said he is working on a plan to broker a deal to bring an end to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
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Speculation has mounted in recent days over when potential talks could begin after the US President said he spoke to Russian leader Vladmir Putin over the weekend and that “progress” had been made.
But what are Trump’s plans and what have Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said about the US’ involvement?
What is Trump’s plan?
Before being elected, Trump claimed he could end Russia's war in Ukraine in just one day.
Since coming into power, both Trump and America’s Russia-Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg have said they are working on a plan to broker a deal to bring to an end the fighting.
However, they have failed to offer any sort of details about such a plan or any timescale for its implementation.
Speaking to reporters over the weekend Trump revealed he has a plan to end the war but, again, declined to go into details.
“I hope it’s fast,” he said. “Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing.”
Reports emerged on Monday that Kellogg has told allies he is preparing “end of war” options to present to Trump.
However, he denied reports he would be in a position to present the plans at the Munich Security Conference this week.
Has Trump spoken to Putin?
The president has said the United States was in touch with Russia and Ukraine. "We're talking to both sides," he said.
Trump told the New York Post over the weekend that he had spoken to Putin, remarking that “I better not say” just how many times.
It would mark the first officially acknowledged conversation between Putin and a US president since early 2022.
Trump told reporters: “I’ve had it. Let’s just say I’ve had it...And I expect to have many more conversations. We have to get that war ended.”
“If we are talking, I don’t want to tell you about the conversations,” Trump said.
“I do believe we’re making progress. We want to stop the Ukraine-Russia war.”
Trump said he believed Putin “does care” about the killing on the battlefield but did not say if the Russian leader had presented any concrete commitments to end the nearly three-year conflict.
National security adviser Mike Waltz would not confirm that Trump had spoken with Putin, telling NBC on Sunday that “there are certainly a lot of sensitive conversations going on”.
When will Trump meet the leaders?
During a press conference last week, Trump said: "I will probably be meeting with President Zelenskyy next week, and I will probably be talking to President Putin. I'd like to see the war end.”
Trump added that the location of his meeting with Zelenskyy “could be Washington”.
“I’m not going there,” he added.
“Let’s get these meetings going,” Trump then told reporters on the weekend.
“They want to meet. Every day people are dying. Young handsome soldiers are being killed. Young men, like my sons. On both sides. All over the battlefield.”
Senior Russian politician Leonid Slutsky suggested Trump and Putin could meet as early as this month, but this was played down by the Kremlin, insisting "we need to be patient".
What does Trump’s cabinet think?
Trump's advisers and cabinet members are split over how to deal with Russia and Putin, according to NBC News.
Former US and Ukrainian officials, along with a source close to the Kyiv government, say Waltz and Kellogg want to use American leverage to force Putin to back down.
Others, however, are said to prefer reducing the billions of US dollars of support Washington has given Ukraine - an approach critics say would effectively prompt a capitulation to Russia.
What has Russia said?
The Kremlin on Sunday declined to confirm or deny the reports of a phone call between Trump and Putin.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Tass state news agency he was unaware of any such call.
“I personally may not know something, be unaware of something. Therefore, in this case, I can neither confirm nor deny it.”
Meanwhile, a senior Russian politician has said that Moscow is yet to receive a good offer to start peace negotiations, despite Trump’s claims of progression.
Deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin told the RIA state news agency: "It is important that words be backed up by practical steps that take into account Russia's legitimate interests, demonstrating a readiness to eradicate the root causes of the crisis and recognise the new realities.
"Concrete proposals of this nature have not yet been received," he added.
What has Ukraine said?
Trump’s plan for a quick settlement must not only stop the war but also ensure that there can no longer be any more Russian aggression, Zelenskyy has said.
"A frozen conflict will lead to more aggression again and again. Who then will win prizes and go down in history as the victor? No one. It will be an absolute defeat for everyone, both for us, as is important, and for Trump," Zelenskyy told ITV.
"He needs not just to end the war. He needs to act so that (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin has no chance to wage war on us again.
“This is the main thing and everyone should recognise that. That would be a victory.”
He also insisted that Trump must meet with him before he meets with the Russian president, "otherwise it will look like a dialogue about Ukraine without Ukraine".
He added: "I don't know what compromises can be discussed at the negotiating table, we have not reached that point.
"It is important for people to understand that Ukraine is negotiating, not accepting ultimatums from Russia."
He stressed Ukraine's need for security guarantees from its allies as part of any settlement.
Read more: America's Russia-Ukraine envoy preparing 'end of war options' to present to Trump
Zelenskyy also told Trump "let's do a deal", offering the US a partnership over Ukraine's stores of rare earth and minerals.
Earlier this week, Trump said he wanted Ukraine to supply the US with critical resources in exchange for financial support in its war with Russia.
In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Zelenskyy said: "If we are talking about a deal, then let's do a deal, we are only for it."
