President Trump sends top envoy to meet with Vladimir Putin
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - In a renewed push to end the war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump is sending his top envoy to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S. officials say Ukraine has agreed to the conditions of a revised Trump-backed peace plan that pares down some concessions to Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to meet with President Trump this week to hammer out the final details, but Trump says he's waiting until a deal is reached.
Fresh off meetings on the war in Ukraine between top Trump officials and a Russian delegation in the United Arab Emirates, Trump is projecting optimism that a long-sought peace deal could be near.
"We're having good talks. We won't know for a little while, but we're making progress," the president shared.
This comes after posting to social media Tuesday saying "tremendous progress" has been made after an original proposal, widely criticized for being too favorable to Russia, was "fine-tuned" with input from both sides.
"That was not a plan. It was a concept," Trump remarked.
One U.S. official told NBC News the Ukrainians have all but agreed to an updated peace deal, with the White House saying there are "a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details" to work out.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy pointed to adjustments made after U.S.-Ukraine negotiations in Geneva.
"That framework is on the table and we are ready to move forward," Zelenskyy explained.
Russia, though, is threatening to walk away because of those changes to the original proposal which initially called for Ukraine to give up 1/5 of its territory, shrink its military, and back down from entering NATO; all red lines for Ukraine.
Trump now saying he's sending a top envoy to meet with Russian President Putin, with other officials going to Ukraine while offering this blunt assessment.
"This war could go on for years, and Russia's got a lot more people. A lot more soldiers. So I think if Ukraine can make a deal, it's a good thing. I think it's great for both," Trump expressed.
The president also added he would meet with Putin and Zelenskyy only after a deal is reached.
U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll delivered an even more grim assessment while meeting with officials in Ukraine, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter who say the secretary warned Ukraine faced imminent battlefield defeat and should negotiate now.
Zelenskyy has said his country will not stand down until Russia shuts down its war machine.
