No end in sight: Trump's efforts to end Ukraine war fall flat

Still optimistic

Despite the ongoing missile attacks being carried out by both sides, Trump said he remained confident that significant progress was being made towards reaching a peace deal. "The other day I was talking to Vladimir Putin about settling his war with Ukraine, which I think we're getting closer to, by the way, maybe now the closest we've been," he said.

Despite Trump's confidence that the negotiations will ultimately bear fruit, comments made by the Kremlin after the talks suggest Moscow still remains sceptical about the possibility of a deal, with a Russian spokesman warning that there was little "substance" in the Ukrainian and European proposals.

There is also deep unease among Ukrainian negotiators about what they perceive as the Trump administration's pro-Putin bias—a concern that was not helped by Witkoff personally praising Putin for being a "humanitarian" after agreeing to release a 72-year-old American schoolteacher who had been jailed for allegedly fighting for Ukraine.

In a move deliberately designed to appeal to the Trump administration, Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg to learn that Moscow had agreed to free Stephen Hubbard, whose plight Trump had personally discussed with Putin.  

"You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian," Witkoff told Putin in a moment captured by Russian state broadcasters. "You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again."

Putin, who launched the illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, is wanted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court over the unlawful deportation of children.

His forces have been accused of deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure with drones and missiles, while numerous war crimes—such as summary executions, torture and rape – have been documented against Ukrainians in occupied territories.

Ukranian unease

Witkoff's comments will certainly add to the unease within Ukrainian circles about the Trump administration's perceived pro-Russian stance, especially after Trump attracted heavy criticism from his European allies over his recent deal with Putin for Russia to provide much-needed supplies of diesel.

Trump has also angered many in Kyiv by calling for Zelensky to be removed from office and be replaced with a Ukrainian leader who is more amenable to accepting Washington's terms for ending the conflict, which many Ukrainians regard as a sell-out of their cause.

"Zelensky's not a good guy for us to deal with," Trump said in an interview with the US channel Newsmax, before later remarking that "Zelensky doesn't know what he's talking about," when asked about what he thought of the Ukrainian leader's suggestion that striking a diesel deal with Russia put the US on the wrong side of history.

Zelensky has similarly criticised the American leader, telling a US congressional delegation about "decisions on the American side that are hard to explain between friends". He also said he feared that "some political decision has been made to slow down support for us."

He also rejected Trump's claim that, by remaining in office, he represented a major obstacle to achieving peace. "We have welcomed literally EVERY attempt by our partners to end this war with dignity," the Ukrainian leader posted on Telegram.

Given the deep mistrust that has developed between Trump and Zelensky in recent days, prospects for a breakthrough in peace efforts are slim.