US, Dec 12 : President Donald Trump on Thursday issued a dramatic warning that the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict could spiral into a global catastrophe, cautioning that “things like this end up in third world wars.”
Speaking at the White House after signing an Executive Order to prevent a “patchwork” of state-level AI regulations, Trump revealed that 25,000 people mostly soldiers were killed in the conflict last month alone, describing the toll as unacceptable and urging urgent de-escalation.
“I’d like to see the killing stop… I would love to see it stop. And we’re working very hard,” Trump said, stressing that continued brinkmanship by both sides risks igniting a larger global conflict. “Everybody keeps playing games like this. We will end up in a third world war, and we don’t want to see that happen.”
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President is “extremely frustrated” with both Moscow and Kyiv over the slow pace of negotiations and is unwilling to participate in “meetings just for the sake of meeting.”
“The President is sick of meetings that achieve nothing. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end,” Leavitt told reporters, adding that Trump had held talks with European leaders and that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his team were engaged in direct discussions with both sides “literally as we speak.”
Amid the diplomatic pressure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Washington has urged Kyiv to consider pulling back forces from the Donetsk region to create a “free economic zone” in parts of eastern Ukraine still under its control, according to Al Jazeera.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine submitted a 20-point set of counter-proposals to the US as part of ongoing talks on security guarantees, emphasising that any territorial concessions would require approval through a national referendum.
The Ukrainian leader is reportedly facing mounting US pressure to reach a peace agreement with Russia, with reports suggesting that Trump wants a deal by Christmas. The broader peace framework includes the 20-point plan as well as separate proposals on security guarantees and reconstruction, though details of the updated US draft remain undisclosed.
Key sticking points continue to be control of the Donetsk region and the future governance of the Russian held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Al Jazeera reported.