Trump Open to Russia Trip for Ukraine Settlement Amid Stalled Talks

US President Donald Trump has not ruled the possibility of traveling to Russia this year to help facilitate a settlement to the Ukraine conflict. Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, prior to departing for an upcoming summit in China, the US president was asked if he could visit Russia in 2026. “I could… I will do whatever is necessary. That war… I’ve settled eight wars,” Trump said. “That war is getting closer. Believe it or not, it’s getting closer. And we think we’re going to end up getting a settlement between Russia and Ukraine.” A day earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to host Trump. Putin initially extended the invitation after the historic bilateral US-Russia summit in Alaska last August. However, the subsequent Washington-backed direct talks between Moscow and Kiev have stalled. The negotiations will remain at a standstill until Kiev pulls its troops out of Donbass, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Sunday. “Until [Ukraine] makes the step, one can hold some more rounds, dozens of rounds [of talks] but we will remain in the same spot,” he said. Washington is currently “more preoccupied with the Middle East crisis,” Ushakov added. The US war on Iran has settled into an uneasy standoff centered around the Strait of Hormuz and blockade of Iranian ports, with neither side accepting the other’s demands. Nevertheless, Washington is “not abandoning the Ukraine issue,” and is in regular contact with Moscow over the phone, Ushakov said. Russia has maintained that any peaceful settlement is predicated on Kiev withdrawing from the remaining areas of the Donbass that are still under Ukrainian control. Kiev exerts control over around 15-17% of Donetsk People’s Republic, Putin said in March. The Russian Defense Ministry reported fully liberating the neighboring Lugansk People’s Republic last month.