Ukraine-Russia war: President Donald Trump ‘closer to peace’ as call with President Vladimir Putin nears

The White House claims “we’ve never been closer to peace” as US President Donald Trump prepares to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about a Ukraine ceasefire deal.

The conflict, which started in 2014 then escalated significantly in 2022, with leaders from across Europe and the world struggling to bring an end to the war between the neighbouring countries.

Ahead of his potentially war-ending call, Mr Trump revealed what he would speak to Mr Putin about.

“We’ll be talking about land,” Mr Trump told reporters.

“A lot of land is a lot different than it was before the war, as you know.

“We’ll be talking about land, we’ll be talking about power plants.

“We’re already talking about that – dividing up certain assets.”

Mr Trump said he hopes his call “can bring that war to an end”.

“Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance,” he said.

“We’ll see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday”

Following his comments, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump is “determined” to bring peace.

“We’ve never been closer to peace than at this moment,” Ms Leavitt said.

“The president is determined.”

In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron said the time had come for guns to “fall silent”.

“President Zelensky had the courage to accept the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Now it’s up to Russia to prove that it truly wants peace,” he wrote on X.

“Enough deaths. Enough lives destroyed. Enough destruction. The guns must fall silent,” he added.

As hope for peace grows, the UK marching ahead with plans for a “coalition of the willing”, which could see over 30 countries, including Australia, send troops into the troubled region for peace keeping operations.

A UK spokesperson on Monday said the coalition would see a “significant number” of troops sent in.

Defence chiefs are set to further develop details about the coalition on Thursday, potentially then dealing with an entirely different reality.