THERE is renewed momentum to end the Ukraine war — now in its fourth year — with US President Donald Trump pushing all parties involved to reach a deal. The US leader hosted his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, along with key European leaders, on Monday, just days after Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin had met in Alaska. Mr Zelensky’s last visit to Washington in February was a diplomatic disaster, with Donald Trump and the US vice president publicly berating the Ukrainian president. Things went much better this time, as there were smiles all around, and talk of an embryonic peace deal to end the hostilities that have put Ukraine and its Western backers up against Russia. The next step is a proposed summit between Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin which, it is hoped, could lead to a breakthrough and end the fighting that was sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion of its western neighbour.

Perhaps the diplomatic blitz has been fuelled by Donald Trump’s desire to be seen as a ‘man of peace’, worthy of the Nobel Prize. Indeed, if a durable Ukraine peace deal does emerge, it will be a major feather in the Trumpian cap. But there is still a long way to go before the guns in both Kyiv and Moscow fall silent. Several variables remain. Principally, will Moscow give up Ukrainian territory it has seized, including Crimea, which it took in 2014? Will Ukraine drop plans of joining Nato and becoming a forward base for the Western alliance against Russia? Will the Putin-Zelensky summit even materialise? All these are key issues that must be resolved if there is to be a long-term settlement to the Ukraine question. While both sides have built competing narratives, there is no doubt that Russia’s invasion of its western neighbour was unacceptable, regardless of its historical claims. Similarly, Moscow’s concerns of being surrounded by Nato — with the alliance stationed at its borders — are not without merit. Any peace deal, therefore, must ensure Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty, while ending Russia’s West-led isolation, particularly dropping economic sanctions. Anything less will fail to bring long-lasting peace. And while Mr Trump is busy trying to end bloodshed in Europe, if he is serious about peacemaking, let him also turn his attention to the killing fields of Gaza and rein in Israel.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2025