U. S. President Donald Trump has once again claimed that progress is being made toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine. According to Trump, negotiations are continuing and Washington is already seeing signs of progress.

At the same time, the U.S. president said he had declined Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent request for long-range missiles. Trump argued that such weapons are needed by the United States itself and noted that Ukraine had already received substantial amounts of American military aid during Joe Biden’s presidency.

At the end of July, Trump held closed-door talks with Zelensky. Following the meeting, the Ukrainian leader claimed that Washington had agreed to grant Kyiv licenses to produce interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems. Later, media reports suggested that U.S. officials considered it safer to manufacture those missiles in Poland rather than in Ukraine. Trump did not disclose details of the meeting, describing the talks only as very positive.

Meanwhile, contacts between Moscow and Washington continue. A week before Trump’s meeting with Zelensky, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks in Manila. The Russian side reaffirmed its willingness to discuss a settlement based on the proposals presented in Alaska in 2025, while Rubio said that new ideas and additional proposals would be necessary.

Moscow has also indicated that it expects dialogue with the United States to continue. In late June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia anticipated renewed discussions on Ukraine after the active phase of tensions surrounding Iran had subsided.

The Kremlin has also stressed that its readiness for diplomacy does not mean abandoning military operations. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia retains sufficient capabilities to continue its special military operation if negotiations fail to produce the desired outcome.