Trump administration officials fanned out across Sunday news programs to defend President Donald J. Trump’s diplomatic push following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and ahead of Monday’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Washington.
Full Peace Deal, Not Ceasefire
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that the administration’s goal is “not a ceasefire” but a lasting settlement.
“It was agreed to by all that the best way to end this conflict is through a full peace deal. There’s no doubt about that… What we’re aiming for here is not a ceasefire — what we ultimately are aiming for is an end to this war,” Rubio said on Meet the Press.
Rubio emphasized that only Trump has the standing to bring Moscow into serious talks.
“We happen to be in the role of the only country in the world with the only leader in the world that can actually bring Putin to a table to even discuss these things.”
Concessions Required
The secretary made clear that any peace deal will involve compromise.
“The only way to reach a deal is for each side to get something and each side to give something — and that’s been very difficult. If it was easy, this wouldn’t have been going on for three and a half years… That’s why Zelensky is coming tomorrow.”
He pushed back on media speculation that Ukraine would be pressured into an unfair deal.
“This is such a stupid media narrative that they’re coming here tomorrow because Trump is going to bully Zelensky into a bad deal. We’ve been working with these people for weeks. They’re coming here tomorrow because they chose to come here tomorrow. We invited them to come.”
Alaska Summit Outcomes
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Friday’s meeting with Putin yielded “game-changing” security guarantees.
“We began to see some moderation in the way [Russia is] thinking about getting to a final peace deal — and so we feel that that’s encouraging. We briefed the Europeans immediately after we were done with the Summit. First, we briefed President Zelensky directly… then we had the Europeans on the phone, and I think everybody agreed that we had made progress.”
Witkoff added that leaders on the call acknowledged Moscow had made “significant accommodations well beyond we thought before that summit started.”
Looking Ahead
Officials maintained that Trump remains uniquely capable of advancing negotiations.
“There’s only one leader in the world that has any chance of bringing these two sides together… that’s President Trump,” Rubio said.
Monday’s meeting at the White House with Zelensky and European leaders marks the next stage of the administration’s effort to end the war.