Trump Claims Putin Wants to End Ukraine War After Back-Channel Talks in Moscow

Washington, Dec 2025: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in bringing an end to the war in Ukraine, citing what he described as a “very good meeting” between the Russian leader and two of Trump’s close allies, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, in Moscow.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had received detailed feedback from Kushner and Witkoff following their discussions with Putin. “Their impression was that he would like to see the war ended,” Trump said. “I think he’d like to get back to a more normal life. I think he’d like to be trading with the United States of America, frankly, instead of losing thousands of soldiers a week.”

Trump described the Moscow interaction as encouraging, but tempered expectations about immediate outcomes. “I thought they had a very good meeting yesterday with President Putin. We’ll see what happens. It’s a war that should never have been started,” he said. Trump once again reiterated his long-standing claim that the conflict would not have erupted had he been President when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “If I were president, that war would have never happened. They would have had 100 per cent of their territory. Nothing would have happened,” he asserted.

Highlighting the human cost of the conflict, Trump painted a grim picture of battlefield casualties. “Think of this — last month, 27,000 soldiers… mostly young soldiers died last month; in one month,” he said. While casualty figures in the war remain heavily disputed by both sides and independent observers, Trump said the scale of the losses was the primary reason behind his efforts to encourage a negotiated end to the fighting.

Trump also claimed that the United States is no longer directly financing Ukraine’s war effort in the manner it did under the previous administration. “We’re not spending any money in the war, we’re selling to NATO. We’re not being ripped off like we were under Biden,” he said, suggesting that Washington’s role has shifted toward arms sales to allies rather than direct funding.

When questioned about recent Kremlin statements suggesting that Russia was unwilling to compromise on key demands, Trump replied bluntly, “I don’t know what the Kremlin is doing,” indicating uncertainty about Moscow’s current negotiating posture.

The Trump team’s reported back-channel contacts with Moscow have drawn significant global attention at a time when front-line military dynamics remain largely stalled and international diplomatic efforts struggle to gain momentum. While both the US and its European allies continue to explore political and military frameworks for a potential settlement, deep disagreements persist over territorial control, security guarantees, and sanctions relief.

Adding to the broader geopolitical context, President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on Thursday for summit-level talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit is being closely watched by Washington and other world capitals, as India continues to balance its long-standing strategic ties with Russia alongside its expanding partnership with Western powers.

Trump’s remarks, coming amid these parallel diplomatic developments, have once again placed his approach to the Ukraine conflict — centred on personal diplomacy and deal-making — under the global spotlight.

Team Maverick.