President Donald Trump told Newsmax on Thursday that he'll know within two weeks whether a peace treaty can be reached between Ukraine and Russia to end the three-and-a-half-year-old war.
Trump made the comments in a phone interview with "The Todd Starnes Show," an interview that also aired on "Greg Kelly Reports" on Newsmax.
Starnes, also a Newsmax host, asked the president if peace is attainable between Ukraine and Russia.
"Well, I'll let you know about, I would say within two weeks. We're gonna know one way or the other. After that, we'll have to maybe take a different tack. But we'll see; we'll know pretty soon," Trump said, without elaborating on the significance of the timeline.
Peace talks ramped up over the past week, kicked off by Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday in Anchorage, Alaska. The leaders left Alaska without a deal but with progress, they said.
Trump then held meetings on Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a host of European leaders at the White House.
"I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelenskyy will make peace. We'll see if they can get along," Trump said.
Trump has said a bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin would have to happen before a trilateral meeting that included Trump. While the White House said Putin had "promised" to meet Zelenskyy in the coming weeks, the Kremlin hasn't said so publicly.
Trump told Starnes that Zelenskyy was "in there pitching" during Monday's meetings.
"It's a hard war, I'll tell you. It's a horrible war. It's the worst thing since World War II. And a lot of people dying; a lot of soldiers are dying, 5- to 7,000 a week," Trump said.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.