‘We’ll see what happens’: Here's why Trump is stepping back from Ukraine peace talks

The Guardian reports Trump has adopted a ‘wait-and-see’ strategy as White House pushes bilateral talks on Ukraine war.

US President Donald Trump intends to let Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet without him before any US-brokered summit, administration officials told The Guardian. The move marks a shift in Trump’s approach, from promising quick fixes on the campaign trail to now taking what one official described as a 'wait-and-see approach' on Ukraine peace negotiations.

According to the report, Trump has told aides that a trilateral summit involving himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy will only follow if the two leaders manage to hold a face-to-face discussion first. But whether that initial meeting will happen remains uncertain.

“I just want to see what happens”

Speaking to talk show host Mark Levin on WABC, Trump said it would be better if Putin and Zelenskyy met without him initially. “I just want to see what happens at the meeting. So they’re in the process of setting it up and we’re going to see what happens,” he said.

The acknowledgment comes after Trump privately admitted that ending the war in Ukraine has proved more difficult than he had anticipated, despite his repeated claim during the campaign that he could resolve it “in 24 hours.” His deadline for Russia to end the invasion expired earlier this month, leading the administration to push for direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

White House: Quiet diplomacy, no shortlist yet

The White House said Trump and his national security team “continue to engage with Russian and Ukrainian officials towards a bilateral meeting to stop the killing and end the war… It is not in the national interest to further negotiate these issues publicly.”

Despite some optimism from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, The Guardian reported that there has been little tangible progress. The administration has not finalised locations for the possible meeting, and Putin has consistently rejected Zelenskyy’s past requests for direct talks.

Putin call and new security guarantees on the table

After recent White House meetings, Trump spoke to Putin for around 40 minutes. Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov later said both sides agreed to appoint senior negotiators for direct talks. Meanwhile, security guarantees for Ukraine dominated discussions with European leaders.

Trump offered to contribute to those guarantees, though he has ruled out sending U.S. ground troops. Assistance could instead involve intelligence-sharing or even limited American air support.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, earlier told CNN that Putin had tentatively accepted U.S. security guarantees similar to NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause. But according to The Guardian, U.S. officials remain skeptical. Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has floated the idea of Moscow itself acting as a guarantor, something Washington has privately dismissed.

Zelenskyy eyes $90bn U.S. weapons plan

After his White House visit, Zelenskyy outlined a proposal for Ukraine to buy $90 billion worth of American weapons through Europe, alongside a deal for the U.S. to purchase drones from Ukraine. It remains unclear if this proposal ties into the broader weapons agreement Trump announced last month.