Trump Claims Ukraine Settlement Close After Ceasefire Fails

President Donald Trump announced on May 12, 2026, that a settlement to end the war in Ukraine is getting very close. His optimistic comments followed the expiration of a three-day ceasefire he brokered from May 9 to 11, which was intended to coincide with Russia's World War II victory celebrations.

Despite the truce, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that there was no silence at the front. While some residents in Odesa experienced a brief calm, others in Zaporizhzhia and the Donbas region reported ongoing shelling and drone attacks. Both Kyiv and Moscow traded accusations of ceasefire violations targeting civilians, and Zelenskyy asserted that Russia has no intention of ending the conflict.

Following the truce's collapse, renewed large-scale Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure occurred. Trump maintained that the war's conclusion is imminent and would lead to a drop in global oil prices. This position aligns with statements from Russian President Vladimir Putin, though Zelenskyy remains skeptical, noting that U.S. attention has been divided by a separate conflict in Iran.