Trump calls Ukraine war a “mess,” says conflict not easy to resolve

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (December 02) said the war in Ukraine was a “mess” and not an easy situation to resolve, remarks he delivered at the start of his final cabinet meeting of 2025.

AI Brief

Putin met Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin to explore ways to end the Ukraine war.
Before the meeting, Putin warned Europe of quick defeat in any war with Russia and rejected proposals on Ukraine.
Trump has pledged to end the conflict but previous efforts, including talks with Putin and Zelenskiy, have failed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in the Kremlin on Tuesday for talks on a possible way to end the deadliest European conflict since World War Two.

Just before the meeting, Putin warned Europe that it would face swift defeat if it went to war with Russia, and he dismissed European counter-proposals on Ukraine as being absolutely unacceptable to Russia.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to end the war but his efforts so far, including a summit with Putin in Alaska in August and meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, have not yet brought peace.