Trump pitches himself as peace mediator in Russia-Ukraine talks

President Donald Trump used a morning appearance on Fox Friends to describe one of his main motivations for pursuing a settlement between Russia and Ukraine as not only political, but existential: he wants to get to heaven, and believes brokering peace could help achieve that. He outlined a path that would place him at the center of negotiations, proposing a face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy within weeks, to be followed by a trilateral session that would include him. He also asserted that his efforts could save thousands of lives each week and emphasized that American boots would not be on the ground as the talks unfold.

Trump’s comments came after a weekend in which he hosted European leaders, including Zelenskyy, at the White House and held a high-stakes meeting with Putin in Alaska. He described himself as a “mediator in chief” and said he planned to arrange further discussions aimed at ending the war, which began with Russia’s invasion more than three years ago. He claimed that his broader diplomacy has already produced several settlements in other conflicts and argued that stabilizing Ukraine would be a major demonstration of his...