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| *Image created using Grok (xAI), 2025. Planet-Today.com* |
First, on Thursday, NATO chief Mark Rutte said from Berlin that Europe and the world should prepare for coming war, ominously warning that it could be "on the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured." Rutte stressed that Russia could be ready to attack NATO within five years, urging massive defense increases to avert disaster.
Soon after, President Donald Trump echoed the grim warning, expressing deep frustration over the lack of an off-ramp in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "Things like this end up in third world wars. And I told that the other day, I said, 'You know, everybody keeps playing games like this, you'll end up in a third world war.' And we don't want to see that happen," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"I'd like to see the killing stop: 25,000 people died last month, soldiers—mostly soldiers, but some people also where bombs were dropped," Trump continued, highlighting the horrific human cost. While noting the war "doesn't really affect the United States unless it got out of control," he warned of the clear risk of runaway escalation.
Trump revealed the US is "working very hard" on resolution but broke from typical restraint, directly blaming President Zelensky: "I thought that we were very close with Russia to having a deal. I thought we were very close with Ukraine to having a deal. In fact, other than President Zelensky, his people loved the concept of the deal."
The proposed US peace deal involves territorial concessions in Donbas and Crimea, limits on Ukraine's military, and a permanent ban on NATO membership—terms Zelensky has fiercely rejected, backed by European leaders' unbending support.
Trump described the negotiations as "a little bit complicated... It's sort of like a complex real estate deal times a thousand." Meanwhile, Zelensky and Europeans push a counter-plan Russia has already dismissed.
.@PressSec on peace talks between Ukraine and Russia:
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 11, 2025
"The President is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war. He’s sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting. He doesn’t want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end." pic.twitter.com/f1oucZUQb1
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to balance the criticism: "The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, and he is sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting."
In response to mounting pressure, Zelensky recently declared openness to elections: "Since this issue is being raised by the U.S. president and our European partners, I’ll be brief: I am ready. I ask the U.S., together with Europe, to ensure security for the vote. If that is done, Ukraine can hold elections within 60 days." This would likely require a temporary Russian pause in hostilities.
Latest update: As of December 13, 2025, Trump's top envoys, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are heading to Berlin for crunch talks with Zelensky and European leaders amid urgent efforts to bridge gaps in the peace plan, with territory and security guarantees still unresolved. Source: The Independent
The shadows of global conflict grow darker—will leaders finally choose peace, or are we sleepwalking into the abyss?