Deal or deception? Trump’s ‘24-hour war fix’ faces reality check as Putin stays the course

President Donald Trump’s bold campaign promise to resolve the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office is facing a stark reality check as Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no signs of backing down.

Throughout his election campaign and post-election period, Trump repeatedly claimed he could swiftly end the conflict but the complexities of the war have proven far greater than anticipated as the former president cited difficulties in direct negotiations with Putin.

Trump’s senior national security aides have publicly suggested that US officials plan to use a combination of pressure and incentives to bring Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiating table for cease-fire discussions. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz recently advocated the importance of getting “all sides to the table to end this war.”

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In another effort to end the stalemate between the two countries, Trump’s national security adviser announced on Sunday that senior US officials will meet with European counterparts this week to discuss strategies for ending the war, nearly three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

The talks will focus on exploring potential pathways to bring the nearly three-year conflict to an end.

This development comes less than a day after the New York Post reported that Trump had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to explore potential steps toward a negotiated resolution.

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Neither the White House nor the Kremlin has confirmed the call. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz declined to comment on the matter during a television interview.

Waltz said that Russia’s economy is struggling and emphasised that Trump is ready to impose taxes, tariffs or sanctions on Moscow to pressure Putin into negotiations. However, he also highlighted that the Trump administration aims to use this week’s discussions to initiate talks on reducing some of the United States aid to Ukraine. Waltz added that European allies would need to assume a larger role in supporting Ukraine moving forward.

“We need to recoup those costs and that is going to be a partnership with the Ukrainians in terms of their natural resources and their oil and gas and also buying ours,” Waltz said in an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.

“Those conversations are going to happen this week. And I think an underlying principle here is that the Europeans have to own this conflict going forward. President Trump is going to end it. And then in terms of security guarantees, that is squarely going to be with the Europeans.’’

Putin defiant amid Trump threats

Putin is closer than ever to achieving his objectives in battle-weary Ukraine, with little incentive to come to the negotiating table, no matter how much Trump might cajole or threaten him, according to Russian and Western experts interviewed by The Associated Press.

Putin has previously said Trump was “clever and pragmatic,” and even parroted his false claims of having won the 2020 election. Trump’s opening gambit was to call Putin “smart” and to threaten Russia with tariffs and oil price cuts, which the Kremlin brushed off.

Zelenskyy demands lasting Ukraine peace

Trump’s plan for a quick settlement in Ukraine must not only stop the war but also ensure that there can no longer be any more Russian aggression, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine wanted no repeat of the experience of peace accords and talks that failed to produce results in the years running up to Moscow’s February 2002 full-scale invasion. And that, he said, meant putting security guarantees in place.

“A frozen conflict will lead to more aggression again and again. Who then will win prizes and go down in history as the victor? No one. It will be an absolute defeat for everyone, both for us, as is important, and for Trump,” Zelenskiy told ITV.

“He needs not just to end the war. He needs to act so that (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin has no chance to wage war on us again. This is the main thing and everyone should recognise that. That would be a victory,” Zelenskiy said.

Zelenskiy repeated his willingness to hold talks with Russia on ending the war provided that Ukraine’s Western allies – the United States and the European Union – were engaged.

“If I had an understanding that America and Europe will not abandon us and they will support us and provide security guarantees, I would be ready for any format for talks,” he said.

“If there are security guarantees, we can then speak of an end to the ‘hot phase’ of the war. You must understand we need to know just how this war is going to end. That we are all on the same side as America and Europe.”

Andriy Yermak, a top Zelenskyy adviser who will attend the Munich security conference, has told AP the Ukrainian delegation will use its platform to present Kyiv’s position on ending the war. He said Kyiv hopes to discuss what security guarantees could be put in place to prevent repeated aggression by Russia.

The Munich summit comes at a pivotal moment for Ukraine, which is striving to establish a relationship with the new U.S. administration, a key partner during its yearslong war against Russia.

With inputs from agencies