WASHINGTON : Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Washington was witnessing a “very strong desire” to end the war, adding that both Russia and Ukraine were “tired of fighting”.

“We are also seeing a very strong desire to end (the war) between Russia and Ukraine, and we are engaged in that,” Trump said, a day before trilateral talks led by the United States were scheduled to begin.

A US official said on Monday that both Moscow and Kyiv had demonstrated some flexibility in private discussions over a possible land swap. The official, speaking ahead of the two-day talks beginning on Tuesday, said security guarantees for Ukraine would be a major focus of the negotiations, including the possibility of defence arrangements similar to Article 5 of the NATO treaty.

Territorial control remains one of the biggest obstacles to a settlement. Ukraine wants Russian forces to withdraw to the original border between the two countries, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking control over the entire Donbas region.

However, the US official said both sides had shown some willingness to make concessions during private discussions. Any agreement on territorial issues is likely to come towards the final stages of negotiations, after other matters, particularly post-war security arrangements, have been addressed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, said battlefield successes by Ukrainian forces and mounting Russian casualties had strengthened Kyiv’s negotiating position.

The upcoming discussions will be the first since February aimed at accelerating efforts to end the war. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to lead the mediation efforts over two days. The US official also indicated that the envoys could travel to Russia at a later stage to meet Putin.

While acknowledging that negotiations would take time, the official said Washington remained cautiously optimistic about the possibility of progress.

However, tensions between Trump and Zelensky have been growing in recent weeks over a series of US decisions, including the purchase of Russian diesel, the suspension of certain sanctions and Trump’s calls for Kyiv to stop attacking Russian oil refineries. Trump has also called for Zelensky to be replaced.

Meanwhile, the military situation along the 1,200-kilometre frontline has remained largely unchanged for several months.

In a fresh development, Russia’s TASS news agency quoted Russian authorities as saying that a Ukrainian drone attack on Monday caused a power outage in the Russian-controlled city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine and surrounding areas. Russia and Ukraine have continued exchanging attacks on energy infrastructure and other targets.

Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said an agreement under which Moscow supplies diesel to American and international markets had begun delivering results, contributing to lower fuel prices.

In an article published in the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Lavrov said Russia differed from Western countries in that it did not use its economy to secure political advantages over nations it considered rivals or adversaries.

“Since 2022, we have supplied Europe with $320 billion worth of energy resources,” Lavrov wrote.

He described the agreement between the Russian and American presidents to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports as an important contribution to energy security, adding that its implementation had already begun and had immediately resulted in lower prices.

On October 9, Trump announced a surprise agreement under which Russia agreed to immediately export 300,000 tonnes, equivalent to 2.25 million barrels, of diesel to US and global markets. The arrangement also included a further 500,000 tonnes in November, followed by one million tonnes “immediately thereafter”, in an effort to bring down fuel prices ahead of the US midterm congressional elections.

Lavrov said Moscow was working to stabilise global energy markets to ensure energy security and support the balanced and sustainable development of major countries and regions.

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