U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matt Whitaker, indicated on Saturday that Ukrainian operations within Russia are bringing Moscow and Kyiv closer to potential negotiations. This comes as President Donald Trump continues to advocate for dialogue between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to resolve the ongoing conflict.
During an appearance on “The Big Weekend Show,” Whitaker stated that both parties need to cooperate to end the hostilities. He believes that Ukraine’s aggressive actions against Russia may help facilitate talks between the two sides. However, he also noted that there remains a significant gap between the two nations on critical matters, suggesting that a peaceful resolution will not come through ongoing conflict.
Whitaker expressed a firm stance: “This conflict is not going to be resolved on the battlefield. It’s only going to be resolved through diplomacy and negotiation.” He highlighted Trump’s efforts in engaging both sides to find common ground.
If, he added, Putin is not open to compromise, reaching an agreement would be “impossible.” Still, Whitaker believes Trump’s background as a businessman could play a role in securing a deal, should the opportunity arise.
Trump reported on Saturday that the death toll in the war had been significant, with 25,000 fatalities in the previous month and 32,000 in the month before that, noting that most casualties were soldiers. Reflecting on this tragedy, he remarked, “What a shame.” It’s worth mentioning that estimates from the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) suggest that Russia has lost around 450,000 soldiers since it began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
