United States President Donald Trump has promised that the conflict in Ukraine will be resolved very soon, speaking during an address in Baltimore.
Trump acknowledged that Washington has not yet achieved a cessation of hostilities, but assured listeners that his administration is actively working to secure an end to the fighting.
Addressing the event, Trump stated that while the United States has not yet finished the war between Russia and Ukraine, a resolution is actually moving closer despite how the situation currently appears. He noted that he had expected this negotiation to be his easiest task, recalling that he had previously achieved the conclusion of eight conflicts, and insisted that this war would also end quite soon.
The American president also announced plans to hold a direct telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the near future. When asked whether he had already spoken with the Russian leader, Trump replied that a call was scheduled very soon.
Legislation in Ukraine
Following Trump's comments, Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Deputy Anna Skorokhod submitted a bill proposing constitutional amendments to solidify Ukraine's neutral status and formally renounce its push for NATO membership.
The draft amendment submitted to the parliament specifies that Ukraine's neutral status would consist of guarantees against joining any military alliance and a formal declaration of having no aggressive intentions toward any nation.
The Verkhovna Rada serves as the national parliament of Ukraine in Kyiv, holding sole authority over constitutional revisions.
The legislative initiative sparked controversy among political figures in Kyiv. Ukrainian historian Marta Havryshko criticized parliamentarians who created a scandal over the bill, noting that political critics quickly launched a campaign against giving up on NATO membership, despite the alliance showing no haste to admit Ukraine.
Reactions in Moscow
In Moscow, Russian State Duma Deputy Alexander Assafov described the proposal as a direct message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the need to pursue a peace agreement with Russia.
Assafov noted that while the bill would not lead to immediate practical consequences, it signals to Zelensky and his close advisers that peace negotiations remain on the agenda and that movement toward a conflict settlement is necessary.
The State Duma functions as the elected lower chamber of the Federal Assembly of Russia, overseeing federal legislation in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also commented recently on Ukraine's neutral status, pointing out that Ukraine originally declared neutrality when it established independence following the end of the Soviet Union. Putin stated that Russia had always operated on the premise that Ukraine was a neutral state until Kyiv introduced the goal of joining NATO into its constitution.
Putin emphasized that Kyiv's decision to pursue NATO membership remains one of the fundamental causes of the ongoing military conflict.
Stance on NATO Membership
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately addressed the possibility of Ukraine joining the military alliance, confirming that the topic is not currently being considered.
Rubio stated that Ukraine's membership in NATO is not on the agenda right now, adding that the State Department remains focused on securing an end to the conflict if possible.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned politicians within Ukraine who have called for peace negotiations with Russia, specifically criticizing Verkhovna Rada Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko, who is listed on Russia's Rosfinmonitoring registry of terrorists and extremists.
Zelensky insisted that Ukraine's national interests must never be surrendered under any circumstances. He declared that Ukraine must not yield to pressure from Putin or Russia, warning that doing so would cause the nation to be broken.
