Will the Russia-Ukraine war end?

As of April 28, 2025, the Russia-Ukraine war has dragged on for three years, three months, and five days—a total of 1,159 days. In terms of casualties and destruction, it is the most devastating conflict in Europe since World War II. While Ukraine has borne the brunt of the damage, the war has affected the entire world economically and politically—particularly Southeast Europe and Asia. Since returning to office, U.S. President Donald Trump has been calling for an end to the war and promising to support a peaceful resolution.

Since returning to office, U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently called for an end to the war, vowing to facilitate a peaceful resolution.

Last Friday, Trump claimed on social media that “Russia and Ukraine are very close to signing an agreement.” His statement came just hours after his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The following day, Trump met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome, where both leaders were attending Pope Francis’s funeral. Their closed-door meeting took place inside a cathedral at the Vatican and was reportedly aimed at breaking the deadlock in peace talks. This was their second face-to-face since their February meeting in the Oval Office. Zelensky later described the discussion as “highly productive.”

Posting on Telegram, Zelensky wrote: “It was a good meeting. We had a frank and wide-ranging discussion. We’re hopeful for concrete results. Our focus was on saving civilian lives, achieving a complete and unconditional ceasefire, and establishing a reliable, lasting peace that prevents future conflict.”

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Trump said, "Even as we near the end of this war, Putin continues to launch missile strikes on civilian areas in Ukraine. It’s unnecessary." Before leaving Rome, Trump stated, "Putin is pushing me alone toward ending this war," urging the Russian president to stop the bombing. His tone was noticeably firmer, suggesting that a second round of sanctions against Russia might be necessary. Trump also remarked, "It doesn’t look like Putin is very interested in peace."

Meanwhile, Russia’s FSB secret service announced on Saturday that it had arrested a suspect in the car bombing that killed a senior Russian general, Yaroslav Moskalik, near Moscow. Russia has blamed Kyiv for Friday’s explosion. The FSB released a video showing a man known as "Kuzin" being detained on a forest road. Kyiv has not commented on the incident.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Currently, about 20 percent of Ukraine's territory remains under Moscow’s control. Trump had previously demanded some of Ukraine’s mineral-rich lands as part of any peace deal. It remains unclear whether that demand still stands.

France and the UK have also expressed interest in helping end the war and are reportedly receiving positive responses from President Zelensky. But will Putin agree to peace? Will he relinquish the occupied territories? While there’s talk of being "close to a deal," no concrete details have emerged.

At this stage, it appears Trump may be eyeing a personal stake in the outcome of the war. His declarations about being "on the brink of ending the Russia-Ukraine war" are beginning to sound more like hollow rhetoric than grounded reality.