The Atlantic: Trump Wants a Deal to End Ukraine War by Year-End

US President Donald Trump may increase pressure on Ukraine to secure an agreement ending the war with Russia before the end of 2026, The Atlantic reports, citing sources.

According to the outlet, Ukraine’s prospects will be shaped by the results of the US midterm congressional elections and possible talks between Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping in November. Trump is also pinning hopes on the G20 summit in December, which is to be held at a golf course owned by the US president.

“Even if he has to force Ukraine”

“The president dreams of standing between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as they sign a peace deal, even if he has to forcibly make Ukraine agree to it,” the article says.

An anonymous Ukrainian official told the magazine that Kyiv fears Washington may negotiate Ukraine’s future without its participation: “It feels like all this is happening without us.” The outlet notes that the prospect of discussing Ukraine’s future without its representatives also worries the West, and another Ukrainian official voiced concern about a possible division of the world into spheres of influence.

The Atlantic stresses that an attempt to reach agreements within the next eight weeks could put Ukraine under significant pressure. “If Trump gets his way over the next eight weeks, it may not be a negotiating process but a capitulation,” it concludes.