Editorial Desk

Amid mounting international frustration over the lack of progress toward a lasting ceasefire in Ukraine, the United States signaled on June 2 that President Donald Trump is “open” to personally engaging in high-level diplomacy. The White House said Trump may meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey later this month, should the conditions align.

This potential trilateral summit, proposed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, would mark the most ambitious diplomatic initiative involving all three leaders since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The proposed meeting, tentatively scheduled for later in June in either Istanbul or Ankara, follows two previous rounds of lower-level negotiations in Istanbul. While the last round failed to produce any substantive breakthrough, it did result in an agreement for a significant prisoner exchange – one of the few humanitarian gestures in an otherwise devastating conflict.

According to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, Trump, who has been vocal about ending the war swiftly if re-elected, is “open” to a summit involving both Putin and Zelensky. “If it comes to that,” she said, “he wants both of these leaders and both sides to come to the table together.”

Despite Trump’s expressed willingness to facilitate peace talks, the United States was conspicuously absent from the June 2 meeting in Istanbul. A US State Department spokesperson confirmed no American delegation participated, raising questions about the seriousness of Washington’s commitment to direct mediation. Some analysts speculate the White House is deliberately avoiding premature involvement to gauge the intentions of both Russia and Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Trump’s openness to direct talks may appeal to both sides for different reasons. Moscow could view it as an opportunity to circumvent the current Biden administration, which has backed Kyiv unreservedly, while Kyiv may see Trump’s involvement as a way to pressure Russia diplomatically.

Zelensky, while welcoming the idea of leader-level talks, made it clear that peace must come on Ukraine’s terms. “We are very much awaiting strong steps from the United States,” Zelensky said after the Istanbul talks. He called for stronger sanctions against Russia to “push” Moscow toward an unconditional ceasefire.

Ukraine remains firm on the necessity of a complete halt to all hostilities – on land, sea, and air – as a precondition for any broader peace agreement. Zelensky also emphasized that any deal must not “reward” Putin for the invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory.

Despite the renewed momentum around talks, the positions of the two sides remain miles apart. Russia rejected Ukraine’s call for an unconditional ceasefire. Instead, Russian negotiators offered a temporary two-to-three-day truce in select frontline regions, ostensibly to retrieve the bodies of fallen soldiers.

Russia’s lead negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said such a short-term pause would allow “collection of the bodies of dead soldiers from the battlefield,” framing the offer as a humanitarian necessity rather than a step toward peace.

But Ukraine quickly dismissed the proposal as insufficient. Zelensky took to social media to criticize the Russian offer, stating, “I think ‘idiots’, because the whole point of a ceasefire is to stop people from becoming dead in the first place.”

In addition to territorial concessions, Russia continues to demand that Ukraine legally abandon its NATO ambitions, drastically curtail its military, and halt all Western defense assistance – conditions widely viewed in Kyiv as a non-starter.

Russian media reports suggest that a full ceasefire will only be considered if Ukraine withdraws all military forces from four partially-occupied regions: Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

One of the few tangible outcomes of the June 2 meeting was an agreement on humanitarian measures. Both sides consented to a significant prisoner swap, focusing on severely wounded soldiers and fighters under the age of 25. Ukraine said the deal would cover “at least 1,000” prisoners from each side.

Additionally, the delegations agreed to exchange the bodies of approximately 6,000 fallen soldiers – a grim testament to the war’s human cost.

Despite these steps, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya underscored Ukraine’s frustration with Russia’s continued rejection of a broader ceasefire. “The Russian side continued to reject the motion of an unconditional ceasefire,” he told reporters.

Turkey, which has maintained open channels with both Moscow and Kyiv since the war began, continues to play a key role as mediator. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the talks as taking place in a “constructive atmosphere” and confirmed that preparations are ongoing for a potential leader-level summit.

Whether or not such a summit materializes largely depends on Putin. While Zelensky has expressed readiness to participate, the Kremlin has so far resisted calls for a direct meeting. Analysts suggest Moscow may be stalling to extract more concessions or to gain leverage on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the conflict continues to rage on with little sign of abatement. Tens of thousands have died since the war began, and the conflict has triggered the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

Ukraine’s military, after months of setbacks, announced a major special operation on June 1. According to Ukrainian officials, drones were smuggled deep into Russian territory and used to strike airbases, damaging up to 40 strategic bombers worth approximately $7 billion.

In the embattled frontline town of Dobropillya, residents remain skeptical of diplomatic efforts. “We thought that everything would stop. And now there is nothing to wait for,” said 53-year-old Volodymyr, a local who lost his home to drone strikes. “We were almost killed.”

As the war grinds into its third year, the gap between diplomatic rhetoric and battlefield reality remains vast. Trump’s willingness to step into the fray could shift the dynamic – but only if all parties, particularly Putin, are ready to engage seriously. Until then, the war’s human cost continues to mount, and the window for meaningful peace may be closing.