Trump Says Ukraine War End 'Getting Close' as Russia Strikes Kyiv

President Trump said Sunday he believes the war in Ukraine is “getting close” to an end, even as Russian forces carried out a large-scale assault on Ukrainian cities — including the capital, Kyiv — in the days before a major NATO summit, according to PBS.

Trump’s assessment offered a note of diplomatic optimism from Washington at a moment when conditions on the ground showed no clear sign of movement toward a settlement. The president did not specify the diplomatic mechanism or timeline he expected to produce an agreement.

The remarks landed against a backdrop of intensifying military activity on both sides. Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine ahead of the NATO summit, Al Jazeera reported, striking multiple locations including Kyiv. The timing of the assault — falling in the days before Western leaders gathered to deliberate on Ukraine policy — fit a pattern Russia has followed throughout the conflict: using force to frame any diplomatic conversation before it begins.

Ukraine, simultaneously, demonstrated its capacity to reach far into Russian territory. Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s largest oil refinery in what Reuters described as “one of the deepest strikes yet” against Russian industrial infrastructure. The attack reflects Kyiv’s sustained effort to impose economic costs on Moscow by targeting fuel production and logistics networks — a track Ukraine has pursued regardless of the diplomatic climate.

Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian territory also drew a formal protest from a third country. Azerbaijan summoned Russia’s ambassador after Russian forces struck a fuel station in Ukraine operated by SOCAR, the Azerbaijani state energy company, Reuters reported. The protest signals that Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian civilian and commercial infrastructure carry diplomatic costs beyond the immediate theater of conflict.

A Pattern Before the Summit

The NATO summit presents both Ukraine and Russia with an opportunity to shape the alliance’s posture. For Kyiv, the summit is a moment to lock in material commitments and security guarantees before any negotiating process that might constrain Ukraine’s military options. For Russia, demonstrating continued offensive capability just before the gathering reinforces the message that any ceasefire will be negotiated from a position of Russian military strength.

Trump’s statement that peace is “getting close” arrives in this context. The phrase echoes the framing that preceded his meeting with President Zelensky, where the gap between American diplomatic optimism and Ukrainian preconditions was visible in public statements from both sides. European allies at the summit have grown practiced at parsing White House optimism for concrete indicators — specific proposals, frameworks, or timelines — that would distinguish a genuine diplomatic advance from political messaging.

Recent days brought direct Russian strikes on Kyiv separate from the large-scale pre-summit attack. Ballistic missiles hit the Ukrainian capital in operations that drew condemnation from Western governments, and a major strike left at least 11 people dead. Ukrainian officials had warned before the NATO meeting that Russia would attempt to use the summit as cover for escalation.

Ukraine’s refinery strikes build on previous drone operations against Russian oil infrastructure. Hitting Russia’s largest refinery marks a significant expansion in range and ambition — a message, timed to coincide with the diplomatic moment, that Kyiv retains the ability to strike back even as peace talk circulates.

The Gap Between Optimism and Reality

What “getting close” means in practice depends on which variables one is measuring. If it refers to political pressure on Kyiv to accept a ceasefire along current lines, then Trump’s assessment may reflect a real narrowing of options: Western budget constraints, ongoing Russian military pressure, and coalition fatigue have reduced Ukraine’s room to maneuver compared with earlier in the conflict. If it refers to a negotiated settlement that satisfies Ukraine’s core demands for security guarantees and territorial integrity, the gap between the parties remains wide.

Russia has given no public indication that it is prepared to moderate its territorial position. The pace of strikes on Kyiv — occurring in the days immediately preceding a major summit — suggests Moscow is signaling continued confidence in its military position rather than diplomatic flexibility.

For the countries assembled at the NATO summit, the question is less whether the war ends “close” than under what conditions any settlement would be reached. The answers will determine whether Trump’s optimism is prescient or premature.