The Liberty Daily 
(The Epoch Times)—President Donald Trump has said that the war in Ukraine is “very close” to ending and that he expects Russia and Ukraine to reach a settlement.
“The end of the war in Ukraine, I really think it’s getting very close,” Trump told reporters on May 12, as he left the White House for a trip to China.
Trump’s comments followed similar remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who suggested during Russia’s May 9 Victory Day commemorations that the conflict may be nearing an end, while giving no indication that Moscow is prepared to abandon its core war aims.
“I think it’s coming to an end, but it’s still a serious matter,” Putin told reporters in Moscow.
The remarks came after Trump said Russia and Ukraine would each release 1,000 prisoners of war and observe a three-day ceasefire.
“Talks are continuing on ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day,” Trump wrote in a May 8 post on Truth Social, adding that he hopes the ceasefire is “the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War.”
Despite the temporary ceasefire, both sides accused each other of violations, and battlefield activity continued at a reduced pace, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank.
Russia currently controls about 20 percent of Ukraine’s pre-2014 territory, including Crimea and parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. Moscow has not managed to establish control over all of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, an industrial heartland that has been a key Kremlin objective in its military campaign. Russia’s territorial demands remain a central obstacle in U.S.-mediated peace efforts.
Trump was asked on May 12 whether there was any understanding between him and Putin that Russia should receive control of all of Donbas, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk.
“No,” Trump replied, with his remark likely to ease concerns in Kyiv that Washington might endorse Moscow’s claim to the whole region, where Ukrainian forces continue to resist Russian advances.
When asked whether he is prepared to travel to Russia to help broker a peace deal, Trump said he would “do whatever is necessary” to bring the Russia–Ukraine conflict to an end.
“I’ve settled eight wars,” Trump said. “We think we’re going to end up getting a settlement.”
Battlefield Dynamics
Recent battlefield assessments suggest Ukraine may have regained more territory than it lost in April, while Russia’s rate of advance has slowed sharply.
ISW said in a recent assessment that Russia experienced a net loss of about 45 square miles of controlled territory in Ukraine, marking Moscow’s first monthly net territorial loss in nearly two years.
“Russian forces in April 2026 suffered a net loss of territory controlled in the Ukrainian theater for the first time since Ukraine’s August 2024 incursion into Kursk Oblast,” ISW said.
The think tank said Russia’s rate of advance has been declining since November 2025, citing Ukrainian counterattacks, mid-range strikes, the blocking of Russian access to Starlink terminals in Ukraine, and Russian restrictions on Telegram as factors compounding problems inside the Russian military.
Russian forces seized an average of 1.1 square miles per day during the first four months of 2026, compared with 3.8 square miles per day during the same period in 2025, ISW said.
The assessment, however, included several caveats. ISW said seasonal weather may have contributed to the slowdown, as muddy spring conditions have previously reduced the movement of mechanized forces. The think tank also said year-on-year comparisons are complicated by Russia’s increased use of infiltration tactics.
ISW distinguishes between the territory Russian forces control and areas where small groups of Russian troops have infiltrated without establishing firm positions. The think tank said Russian forces have used such tactics partly to create the appearance of steady advances and support the Kremlin’s information efforts.
“Russian forces have been using infiltration tactics in part to create the perception of continuous Russian advances across the front and to support Kremlin cognitive warfare efforts to exaggerate Russian successes,” ISW said.
“Russian forces, however, do not control these infiltration areas, which are often collocated among Ukrainian positions in contested ‘gray zones.’”
The think tank also cited Russian military bloggers who described problems in Moscow’s air campaign, including shortages of aircraft and maintenance personnel and complaints that Russian forces were wasting higher-end munitions like glide bombs on lower-value targets rather than prioritizing strikes effectively.
More recent operational updates from ISW suggest the battlefield picture remains mixed. Ukrainian forces continued their long-range strike campaign against Russian defense infrastructure on May 12, while Russian forces infiltrated the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area and continued targeting Ukrainian rear logistics and ground lines of communication with attacks.
Putin, meanwhile, has continued to characterize the war as unfinished. During his May 9 remarks, he said Russia held Victory Day celebrations without the usual display of military equipment partly because the armed forces needed to remain focused on the Ukraine war.
