Trump says Ukraine war could end 'hopefully soon' as Kyiv burns Russia's fuel lifeline [View all]

Source: Scripps News

Posted 4:34 PM, Jul 07, 2026


President Trump arrived at the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday declaring that the war in Ukraine could be nearing its end, telling reporters alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he expects the fighting to be settled and that peace could come "hopefully soon."

The president said he had spoken by phone in recent days with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that each man wants an agreement. "I think they both want to make a deal," Trump said. Asked whether anything had changed to make Putin more open to concessions, he answered, "Never changed." He added, "I just don't want them killing people."

Trump is scheduled to meet Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the two-day summit. More than 500 days into his second term, the president who once promised to end the war within 24 hours will sit across from a Ukrainian leader arriving with a colder arithmetic.

In the span of a single week, two Russian bombardments tore through Kyiv. The attack last Thursday killed 30 people, among the deadliest strikes on the capital since the war began. A second barrage early Monday killed at least 15 more in the city, with additional deaths in the surrounding region and dozens wounded. Ukraine said its air defenses stopped drones and cruise missiles but could not bring down the ballistic missiles, blaming an insufficient supply of interceptors.

Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/investigations/russia-ukraine-war-on-the-ground/trump-says-ukraine-war-could-end-hopefully-soon-as-kyiv-burns-russias-fuel-lifeline