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According to the White House spokesperson, the US President is sick of meetings just for the sake of meetings.
The White House signaled uncertainty over potential weekend diplomacy on the Ukraine war, as U.S. officials described growing impatience with stalled efforts. A decision on participation has not yet been made.
The comments came amid continued outreach to allies and both warring sides, while Washington assesses whether further talks could yield tangible results.
Leavitt addressed reporters during a Dec. 11 briefing when asked about possible U.S. involvement – and she made it clear, the administration has not yet made a decision.
Uncertain participation
Leavitt said the administration remains engaged but noncommittal.
“The United States and the Trump administration continues to be very much engaged in trying to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end,” she said.
She added that President Donald Trump spoke with European leaders the day before the briefing. Leavitt said special envoy Steve Witkoff and his team “continue to talk with both sides literally as we speak.”
No determination has been reached on whether Washington will send a representative to discussions expected this weekend.
Conditions for talks
Leavitt said U.S. participation would depend on whether officials believe progress is realistic. “If there is a real chance of signing a peace agreement, if we feel like those meetings are worthy of … the United States’s time this weekend, then we will send a representative,” she said.
She stressed the uncertainty surrounding the effort. “It’s still up in the air whether we believe real peace can be accomplished and we can truly move the ball forward.”
Administration officials, she said, have logged more than 30 hours of recent conversations with Russian, Ukrainian and European counterparts.
Growing impatience
Leavitt underscored Trump’s dissatisfaction with the pace of diplomacy. “The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, and he’s sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting,” she said. “He doesn’t want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end.”
She concluded by noting that discussions remain fluid. “We’ll see about the meetings this weekend,” Leavitt said.
While Trump has repeatedly voiced impatience, critics say his administration has not publicly pressured Moscow and has floated peace ideas viewed as favoring Russia while challenging Ukrainian and European positions.
Sources: White House briefing
