Hours after a key conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly told European leaders that Putin is not ready to end the war with Ukraine. According to a Wall Street Journal report citing three people familiar with the discussion, Trump stated that Putin is unwilling to pursue peace because he believes he is winning the war.
This marked the first time President Trump directly confirmed this view to European leaders, who have long suspected that the Russian president is not interested in negotiating peace. The president's remarks in private stood in stark contrast to his typical public stance, in which he has often claimed that Putin has been eager to end the conflict.
The report pointed to a noticeable shift in Trump’s position before and after his call with Putin. On Sunday, the day before the two-hour conversation, Trump had indicated to European leaders that he might consider imposing sanctions on Russia if Putin rejected a ceasefire proposal. But following the Monday call, Trump reversed course—suggesting peace talks between Russia and Ukraine be held at the Vatican and deferring the idea of sanctions.
The Monday call also involved key European figures: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. After his conversation with Putin, Trump told reporters that this is not America's fight and that the United States had been dragged into a conflict it should not have been involved in.
Meanwhile, Russia dismissed claims from Ukraine and European officials that it is intentionally stalling the peace process. The Kremlin stated that it plans to outline its conditions for a ceasefire but did not provide a specific timeline. Following his call with President Trump, Putin said Russia would prepare a memorandum detailing possible steps toward peace for Kyiv. When asked when this memorandum would be released, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “Nobody is interested in dragging out this process.”
In a related development, the Kremlin confirmed that Putin visited the border region of Kursk on Tuesday. This was his first visit to the area since it was fully recaptured from Ukrainian forces. Putin rarely travels to areas near the front lines, and such trips are usually kept confidential until after they conclude. During the visit, Putin met with the region’s governor, spoke with local volunteers, and inspected the site of a multi-billion dollar nuclear power plant currently under construction.
