Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday that a 'freeze' in the war in Ukraine may be close, following discussions between the United States and Russia about a potential summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Tusk made the remarks after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been in contact with Trump and European leaders as the White House seeks to broker an end to the conflict.
'There are certain signals, and we also have an intuition, that perhaps a freeze in the conflict – I don't want to say the end, but a freeze in the conflict – is closer than it is further away,' Tusk said during a news conference. He added that Zelenskyy was 'very cautious but optimistic' about a ceasefire, and that Ukraine wanted Poland and other European countries to play a role in planning for a ceasefire and eventual peace settlement.
Trump has said he is willing to meet Putin without preconditions, including direct negotiations between Putin and Zelenskyy, raising concerns that Ukraine could be sidelined in talks. Bloomberg reported that a potential deal could cement some of Putin's territorial gains in Ukraine, effectively freezing battle lines in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, in exchange for Russia halting its offensive. Such a proposal would be politically fraught in Ukraine.
Fox News reported that a Trump-Putin meeting could take place at the end of next week, with potential venues including Switzerland, Rome, Hungary, and the United Arab Emirates. However, Switzerland and Italy are parties to the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin, complicating their hosting. Putin has mentioned Dubai in the UAE as a possibility.
White House officials have offered conflicting statements about whether Trump will agree to meet Putin. While envoy Steve Witkoff is a strong proponent of the meeting, national security adviser Marco Rubio said 'a lot has to happen before [a summit] can occur.' Putin said he is not ready to meet Zelenskyy, and the Kremlin is focusing on preparations for a bilateral meeting with Trump.
