During a meeting with Central Asian leaders, Trump said, “Russia and Ukraine… We haven’t achieved peace yet, but I believe we have made significant progress.” He continued, “We want to see an end to this war.” The previous day, the U.S. Presidential Special Envoy, Steve Whitkov, announced what he described as an “achievement in resolving the Ukrainian conflict.” He added that there is still much technical work to be done and that “security protocols for Ukraine” need to be agreed upon. Whitkov also expressed confidence in the United States’ ability to facilitate peace between Moscow and Kyiv.
The White House confirmed that preparations are ongoing for a “Russian-American” summit in Budapest, despite the cancellation of the previously agreed date during a phone call between the two presidents. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not rule out holding the meeting in the near future. Putin and Trump had discussed the Ukrainian issue face-to-face at the Alaska summit on August 15, and both sides described the talks as “positive and constructive.”
After the meeting, Putin stated that resolving the crisis in Ukraine has become possible if joint efforts continue at the same pace.
