Trump says Russia and Ukraine are both at the point of saying 'let's make a deal'
President Donald Trump told the Financial Times that Russia and Ukraine are both close to deciding on a peace deal — 'I think they're both at the point of saying, "Let's make a deal"' — and he has separately said the peace talks are 'making ground'. Trump did not say what his optimism rests on or whether Kyiv and Moscow have made progress on any specific terms, and neither capital had confirmed such progress in the reporting read. Trilateral talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia are expected in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November.
Checking in progress
This story is still being checked. Claims below are published as claims — never dressed as facts — and each one moves only when the evidence earns it.
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2 of 3 claims checked so far · step 3 of 4: Checking claims
Key points
- Trump to the Financial Times: 'I think they're both at the point of saying, "Let's make a deal"' — his own words, verified as said under the principal's-own-words rule.
- He gave no terms and no basis for the optimism, and neither Kyiv nor Moscow had confirmed progress on any terms in the reporting read.
- The next test is concrete: trilateral US–Ukraine–Russia talks expected in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November.
What happened
Trump's remarks land in a week when the local track record is mixed: the six-day Oleshky ceasefire, brokered by the First Lady, held and then lapsed on schedule, while the general negotiation — expected to resume trilaterally in Abu Dhabi this month — has produced no published terms. In the same Financial Times interview Trump also addressed Iran, saying the US has no immediate plans for new strikes; that element is carried on Vozia's live Iran page, not duplicated here.
Both sides, in their own words
Both sides heard. Neither believed for free. Publishing a side's version is not endorsing it — the claim checks below are where verdicts live.
Side A · President Trump's assessment
- Both Russia and Ukraine are on the verge of deciding to make a deal: 'I think they're both at the point of saying, "Let's make a deal"' (Trump to the Financial Times).
- The peace talks are 'making ground' (Trump, as reported by TASS).
Side B · What Kyiv and Moscow have not said
- Neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian government had confirmed any progress on the terms of a settlement in the reporting read — no terms, timetable or concession from either side accompanies Trump's optimism.
- Trump himself did not clarify what his optimism was based on, or whether the two sides had moved on any specific point (UNN's report of the interview).
Independently verified
President Donald Trump told the Financial Times, in an interview reported on Wednesday, that he believes Russia and Ukraine are both approaching a decision to conclude a peace deal: 'I think they (Russia and Ukraine) are both on the verge of saying: "Let's make a deal"'. In the same round of remarks, reported by Russia's TASS state agency, Trump said the peace talks are 'making ground'. Trump did not clarify what his optimism was based on, or whether Kyiv and Moscow had made progress on the specific terms of a possible settlement — UNN's report of the interview states both gaps plainly, and no statement from the Ukrainian or Russian governments confirming progress on terms appeared in the reporting read in this pass.Not yet verified
Whether Russia and Ukraine are in fact close to a peace deal is not yet verified: trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia are expected in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November (Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov, 28 October), and the localised Oleshky ceasefire — the war's longest pause, brokered by First Lady Melania Trump — held for its six days and lapsed on schedule on 1 November without either side reporting a resumption around the town. Neither event, on its own, establishes progress on the terms of a general settlement.Claim by claim
Why this label: The principal's own words: the Financial Times interview is the primary source, reported by Ukraine's UNN agency (read in full in this pass). Under the principal's-own-words rule, that Trump said this is verified by his own statement; TASS's 'making ground' line is carried as TASS's report of his words. Whether a deal is actually close is a separate claim — see below.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The gaps are stated in UNN's report itself, read in full. The absence of a Kyiv or Moscow confirmation is reported as the state of the reporting read, not as proof none exists anywhere.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The Abu Dhabi expectation is Ushakov's stated plan as reported earlier in this news cycle; the Oleshky truce and its scheduled end are carried on Vozia's live Oleshky page. Both are context for the talks, not evidence about their terms.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- What Trump said, in his own words, to the Financial Times and in the remarks TASS reported; and that he offered no terms or basis for the optimism in the interview as reported.
What we don't know yet
- Whether Kyiv or Moscow privately signalled the readiness Trump describes — no statement from either government confirming progress on terms had appeared in the reporting read.
- What terms, if any, are actually on the table in the expected Abu Dhabi trilateral talks, and when exactly they convene.
- Whether Russia's or Ukraine's negotiating teams will publicly answer Trump's characterisation.
Why it matters
A US president saying both sides are ready to deal moves markets, morale and negotiating leverage whether or not it is true — and the two capitals whose agreement would make it true have not said it. The Abu Dhabi talks will show whether Trump's optimism describes the room or is an attempt to pressure it.
Background
The localised Oleshky ceasefire — brokered by First Lady Melania Trump, the longest pause of the war — holds for six days and lapses on schedule.
Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov says trilateral Ukraine–US–Russia negotiations are scheduled for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi.
Trump tells the Financial Times both sides are on the verge of saying 'let's make a deal', and says the talks are 'making ground'.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Story published in Checking state as a brief from queue #1439 (TASS). The previous pass held this item for Trump's own direct words or a second source; both are now in hand — UNN's report of the Financial Times interview carries his words, and the claim that a deal is actually close is labelled Not yet verified, with the missing Kyiv/Moscow confirmation in the don't-know list. The hero is a labelled file photo of President Trump at the UN General Assembly, not of the interview.