WASHINGTON DC – The Trump administration said on Friday that it is still working to secure a peace summit between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as a two-week deadline for a ceasefire is set to expire and Ukraine reports a new wave of deadly Russian attacks.
The move comes amid mounting international skepticism of the president’s diplomatic efforts, follows a warning from French President Emmanuel Macron that Trump risked being “played” by Putin “again” on the matter.
“President Trump and his national security team continue to engage with Russian and Ukrainian officials towards a bilateral meeting to stop the killing and end the war,” Senior US administration officials told Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent Friday afternoon.
The diplomatic push is a centerpiece of Trump’s foreign policy, who promised during his campaign that he would end the war in Ukraine on his first day in office. Since taking power in January, he has acknowledged that reaching a peace deal is proving more difficult than anticipated.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller claimed Friday morning that “no president in history has done more to advance the cause of peace.”
“He’s working steadfastly to end the killing, and that’s something that everybody in the world should celebrate,” Miller added.
“Very productive” meeting in New York
The US administration’s efforts were highlighted by a meeting on Friday in New York, where Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with senior Ukrainian officials, including Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office.
According to both White House and Ukrainian accounts, the talks were “very productive and constructive.”
The meeting took place ahead of an emergency UN Security Council session requested by Kyiv following a massive aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital that killed 25 people and wounded 63.
Ukrainian officials told Witkoff that Russia used nearly 600 drones and more than 30 ballistic and cruise missiles in the attack.
In a social media post after the meeting, Yermak underscored Ukraine’s commitment to diplomacy while also expressing frustration with Russia’s actions.
“The key priority is to push forward real diplomacy and ensure the implementation of all the agreements reached at the Washington summit,” Yermak wrote. “We are coordinating our efforts.”
He said he briefed Witkoff on Russia’s daily “war crimes,” including the recent Kyiv attack.
“Unfortunately, Russia is failing to fulfill anything necessary to end the war and is clearly dragging out the hostilities,” Yermak stated. “Ukraine supports President Trump’s firm resolve, as well as that of all partners, to achieve a lasting peace as soon as possible.”
Yermak said that Ukraine is open to direct negotiations at the leader level, but that Russia must be genuinely ready to move toward peace.
“We believe that global pressure is needed to ensure Russia is genuinely ready to move toward peace and, in particular, to hold critically important leaders’ meetings for that purpose,” he wrote.
Diplomatic hurdles
The diplomatic efforts follow an earlier meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska, where the Russian president proposed that Ukraine cede some territory in exchange for peace.
Trump later hosted Zelensky and other European leaders at the White House, where he urged Ukraine to accept a land swap, which he has argued is the most efficient way to end the war.
Trump has said that after a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, he will host a “trilat,” a meeting between the two presidents and himself, with Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Witkoff coordinating the efforts.
But in a blistering statement after the latest attack, Zelensky blasted Putin, saying Russia “chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war.”
Zelensky added that “Russia still does not fear the consequences” and that it is “definitely time for new, tough sanctions against Russia for everything it is doing.”