Washington, DC — President Donald Trump on Thursday warned that the prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine risks escalating into a global conflict, saying ‘things like this end up in third world wars.’
Speaking to reporters at the White House after signing an executive order aimed at preventing a patchwork of state-level artificial intelligence rules, Trump cited heavy recent casualties and expressed frustration with the continued fighting. ‘I’d like to see the killing stop. 25,000 people died last month, mostly soldiers,’ he said, adding that he wants the bloodshed to end and that the administration is ‘working very hard.’
‘Things like this end up in third world wars,’ the president said, warning that ongoing hostilities and stalled diplomacy could spiral beyond the region.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president is ‘extremely frustrated’ with both Russia and Ukraine over slow progress toward a negotiated end to the conflict. She said Trump is tired of talks that produce no results, rejecting ‘meetings just for the sake of meeting’ and calling instead for concrete action.
Leavitt also said the administration remains engaged in seeking a settlement. Trump met with European leaders on Wednesday, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his team were, she said, conducting direct discussions with both sides ‘literally as we speak.’
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Al Jazeera that the United States has urged Kyiv to pull forces back from parts of Donetsk to create a ‘free economic zone’ in areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Kyiv but contested by Moscow. Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine has submitted a 20-point set of counter-proposals to U.S. officials on security guarantees and stressed that any territorial concessions would require approval in a national referendum.
Reports indicate Washington has been pressing Kyiv to move toward a peace agreement, with some outlets saying Trump wants a deal by Christmas. The broader U.S.-led peace initiative reportedly includes a 20-point framework plus separate documents on security guarantees and reconstruction; full details of a revised framework have not been made public.
Zelenskyy has identified control of Donetsk in the Donbas and the future governance of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant—currently under Russian control—as key sticking points in negotiations, according to Al Jazeera.
This report draws on statements from the White House and reporting from news agencies.
