Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
President Donald Trump is on the brink of exiting peace negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which has raised a scenario of Europe stepping in to fill the void and find a way to allow Kyiv to continue the fight. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Trump has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire, adding that "while he remains optimistic he can strike a deal, he's also being realistic as well." Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment by email.
Experts told Newsweek that Europe will have to step in with more support if Trump walks away. Citing unnamed European and Ukrainian officials, the Financial Times reported fears among Kyiv's allies that Trump is looking for an excuse to walk away if he can point to some small point of progress in negotiations as an excuse to say his job is done. The claims by the officials whom the Times cites have not been independently confirmed, but they fit with the Trump administration's impatience about what it says is the slow pace of negotiations.
"I was very disappointed that missiles were [launched] by Russia," Trump told reporters as he traveled back to the White House on Sunday after Pope Francis' funeral, the Times reported. "I want [Russian President Vladimir Putin] to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal." U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House on February 28, 2025, in Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House on February 28, 2025, in Washington. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Why It Matters Trump's repeated pledge that he can end the war quickly has clashed with the diplomatic reality over the longer-term nature of negotiations. As Trump seeks a swift deal, the Times report echoes European officials' fears that he would prize a quick fix that falls short of a long-term solution, leaving Ukraine with the worse deal.
What To Know U.S.-led negotiations in Saudi Arabia in March with Ukraine and Russia led to no breakthrough over Washington's initial proposal of a 30-day ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky backed the idea, which was rejected by Putin. Further talks with the U.S. have led European and Ukrainian officials to believe that Trump is ready to seize on any kind of breakthrough, even it falls short of any long-term solution, the Times reported, citing four unnamed officials.
One official told the publication that the U.S. president was looking for an excuse to walk away and leave it to Ukraine and Europe "to fix." U.S. officials are worried about the lack of progress in talks, according to the outlet, and have floated a deal that can fit with Trump's quick timeline. This clashes with Putin's maximalist demands such as "denazifying" Ukraine, recognition of its claimed annexation of Crimea and four other partially occupied Ukrainian regions, a ban on Kyiv's entry to NATO and its demilitarization.
A European official told the Times that Trump was "setting up a situation where he gives himself excuses to walk away and leave it to Ukraine and us to fix." Both Sides Continue To Fight Peter Rough, director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, told Newsweek that if Trump left talks without a breakthrough or any arrangement, both sides will continue fighting. Then the question would be whether the U.S. washes its hands of the war altogether and moves on to other priorities or continues support for Kyiv with sanctions enforcement and weapons transfers.
He said there would be pressure on the Trump administration for the latter approach and at the very least European allies would want the U.S. to maintain intelligence sharing. Russia would likely continue pressing in the short run to pressure the U.S. into walking away and exacerbate divisions within the transatlantic community and there could be a spring offensive of some sort, Rough added. Russian President Vladimir Putin during an annual plenary session of the Council of Legislators at the Tauride Palace on April 28, 2025, in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin during an annual plenary session of the Council of Legislators at the Tauride Palace on April 28, 2025, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Getty Images Ukraine Relies More On Europe Peter Rutland, a Russia expert and professor of government at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, told Newsweek that if Trump were to abandon a peace deal, he is unlikely to cut off all military and economic aid and would be blamed if Russian forces advanced on Kyiv. Trump may cut back on the volume of aid, but the EU and others seem willing to spend more to keep Ukrainian hopes alive, he said.
Elina Beketova, fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), told Newsweek that the U.S. pulling out of the talks would be a big shift, but she hoped the Trump administration had a broader strategy to pressure both sides into serious negotiations. Ukrainians see the U.S. as their strongest ally, and without U.S. support, things will be much harder for Ukraine, but it could also increase pressure on Europe to step up militarily and in terms of broader leadership, she added. What People Are Saying U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, told NBC: "We have to make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in."
Peter Rough, director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute, told Newsweek: "Russia would likely continue pressing in the short run in order to pressure the U.S. into walking away and exacerbate divisions within the transatlantic community…Moscow wants to break the West and isolate Ukraine in a one-on-one matchup." Elina Beketova, fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told Newsweek: "I still believe that if the U.S. and Europe can stay united, there's a real chance to push Russia toward a ceasefire. But for talks to be meaningful, the daily attacks have to stop."
Peter Rutland, a Russia expert and professor of government at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, told Newsweek: "When Trump abandons his illusory quest for a peace deal, it is unlikely that he will cut off all military and economic aid. If Russian forces advanced on Kyiv, Trump would be blamed." What Happens Next Putin has said that Russian forces would cease hostilities between May 8 until midnight on May 11 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, prompting Ukraine to call for the full and unconditional ceasefire that Moscow continues to reject.
Meanwhile U.S. Vice President JD Vance said in a podcast on Monday that the U.S. team is "making progress" in negotiations but a peace deal is not necessarily guaranteed.
