Kathrine Frich
He warned that Ukrainian borders will look different once the ink dries on the agreement.
When long conflicts drag on for years, everyone starts looking for the exit ramp.
Behind closed doors, diplomats spend months trading proposals and redrawing lines on maps.
Now, a major shift appears to be just days away, and it could permanently alter the map of Europe.
A shifting border
Speaking in an interview with CBS News cited by Onet, US President Donald Trump said that a final deal to end the war in Ukraine is now within reach.
The American leader did not just promise peace. He also warned that Ukrainian borders will look different once the ink dries on the agreement.
“I think we’ll be able to get this through to the end. I think that’s what will happen, and ultimately Ukraine will be somewhat reshaped,” Trump told CBS News.
For a nation that has spent years fighting to keep every inch of its land, those words carry huge weight. Still, Washington seems ready to push the settlement across the finish line this week.
Dodging the trust question
During the CBS News interview, reporters pressed the president on a sensitive topic. They wanted to know whether he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky more. Trump sidestepped the trap completely.
“I’d rather not say, but I get along with both of them,” he replied, according to CBS News.
Instead of picking a favorite, the president actually defended Moscow. According to the report, Trump argued that Russia faced heavy disrespect during a past meeting between the sides.
He also pushed back against critics who claim the Kremlin has been playing him. As reported by CBS News, Trump rejected the idea that Putin had tricked him, insisting that no leader has ever been tougher on Moscow than he has.
Next stop Abu Dhabi
Words on television are one thing, but the real test starts tomorrow.
By Tuesday, negotiators from both warring nations will sit down in the United Arab Emirates. According to the report, Russian and Ukrainian teams are set to meet in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday, with American officials joining the talks at the table.
Those two days in the desert could decide whether Trump’s prediction comes true, and just how much of Ukraine’s map gets redrawn in the process.
