Washington DC — US President Donald Trump on Thursday warned that the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict risks spiralling into a global war, cautioning that “things like this end up in third world wars.” His remarks came after he signed an Executive Order aimed at preventing a patchwork of state-level regulations on artificial intelligence.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump revealed that nearly 25,000 people — mostly soldiers — were killed in the war last month alone, expressing deep frustration over the continued bloodshed. He reiterated that the United States is working urgently to halt the fighting.
“I’d like to see the killing stop… 25,000 soldiers died last month. I would love to see it stop. And we’re working very hard,” Trump said. He later added, “Everybody keeps playing games like this. We will end up in a third world war, and we don’t want to see that happen.”
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President is “extremely frustrated” with both Moscow and Kyiv over the slow progress toward ending the war. Leavitt stressed that Trump is tired of “meetings just for the sake of meeting” and wants concrete outcomes as Washington continues to act as the lead mediator in the four-year-long conflict.
Leavitt confirmed that the administration is actively pursuing peace efforts, with Trump speaking to European leaders on Wednesday. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his team are also in direct talks with Russian and Ukrainian officials “literally as we speak.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the US is pressing Kyiv to pull back forces from the Donetsk region to create a “free economic zone” in Ukrainian-controlled eastern territories — an area Moscow aims to dominate. According to Al Jazeera, Zelenskyy has submitted a 20-point counter-proposal to Washington as part of ongoing negotiations on security guarantees.
Zelenskyy emphasised that any territorial compromise must be approved by the Ukrainian people through a national referendum. Reports also suggest the Trump administration wants a peace agreement “by Christmas,” further increasing pressure on Kyiv.
Key points of disagreement remain control over Donetsk in the Donbas region and the future governance of the Russia-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The United States has not yet released the full details of its revised peace framework, which reportedly adjusts terms seen earlier as favouring Moscow.
