Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has disclosed that the Trump administration has set a June deadline for reaching a peace settlement between Ukraine and Russia. He stated that the United States intends to push both sides to end the war by early summer, with talks potentially moving to the US next week.
Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy said: “They say they want to get everything done by June. They will do everything to end the war and they want a clear schedule of all events.” He added that if the deadline is not met, Washington would apply pressure on both Kyiv and Moscow.
This comes after previous deadlines set by President Trump and his envoy, Keith Kellogg, failed to yield results. Trump had initially promised to end the war within 24 hours, then within 100 days of his inauguration, and later set an August deadline, which also passed without a breakthrough. In December, Trump claimed a draft agreement was nearly “95% done”.
Two days of US-led peace talks in Abu Dhabi this week were described as “genuinely constructive” by Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, but no deal was reached. Zelenskyy confirmed that the next round of trilateral talks is proposed to take place in the US, likely in Miami, in about a week. “We confirmed our participation,” he said.
Zelenskyy hinted that the June deadline may be linked to Trump’s midterm election campaign, noting: “Let’s not be naive.” He added that if Russia is truly ready to end the war, a deadline is important.
