Ukraine-Russia talks 'going along,' Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at an event in Palm Beach, Florida on Dec. 22, said talks on ending Russia's war in Ukraine are ongoing, but offered few specifics on progress, next steps, or deadlines.
Trump was asked by reporters for an update on the Ukraine-related talks that took place in Miami over the weekend and whether a trilateral meeting would be the next step. He responded in general terms, saying, "The talks on Ukraine-Russia are going along."
"We are talking, the talks are going okay," Trump added, without offering any additional details.
When asked whether he was still pushing for a Christmas Day deadline, Trump again did not provide a direct answer, saying only, "I'll whatever I have to do."
Trump also said that "everyone's tired of that war."
While Trump did not address whether trilateral talks were under consideration, top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov earlier denied that talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States were being considered.
Over the weekend, U.S. officials held talks with both Ukrainian and Russian delegations as part of the latest round of shuttle diplomacy aimed at ending the war.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his nightly address on Dec. 22, said the country's top negotiators had returned from Miami and that he expects "a full briefing on the documents that have been prepared." He said "a great deal of work has been done," particularly on documents related to security guarantees and "the 20 points of the main document."
Zelensky also called on the United States to continue applying pressure on Russia, saying, "it is important that the American side be able to elicit a response from Russia — a genuine willingness by that state to focus on something other than aggression."
