Russian Foreign Minister Says Moscow Is ‘Ready’ For Deal With Trump To End Ukraine War

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Thursday that Russia is “ready to reach a deal” with President Donald Trump to end the war in Ukraine, noting, however, that there are still details to be “fine-tuned.”

Earlier this week, Trump told reporters, “Russia is ready” for peace as he is pushing both sides to agree to end the three-year conflict.

“I think we have a deal with Russia,” he said.

In an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” set to be broadcast in full on Sunday, Lavrov said Trump “believes, and I think rightly so, that we are moving in the right direction.”

He added, “The statement by the president mentions a deal, and we are ready to reach a deal, but there are still some specific points, elements of this deal which need to be fine-tuned, and we are busy with this exact process.”

Trump has signaled that he is prepared to hand Moscow big concessions as part of a potential peace plan, including possibly recognizing Crimea as a part of Russia, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out agreeing to.

Asked what Russia has offered so far to move the peace process along, Trump on Thursday replied, “Stopping the war. Stopping — taking the whole country.”

“Pretty big concession,” he added.

Earlier, Trump had issued a rare rebuke of Putin over Moscow’s attack on Kyiv, which left at least 12 people dead, in the largest assault on the Ukrainian capital since last summer.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Vladimir, STOP!”

Lavrov appeared to defend the attack, claiming the Russians “only target military goals or civilian sites used by the military.”

Moscow has since launched another drone attack in southeastern Ukraine, killing at least three people, according to local officials.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fourth time in Moscow Friday. Lavrov would not offer a direct answer as to whether a deal between Russia and the U.S. could be reached as early as this week.

Witkoff’s arrival comes as Russia said one of its generals was killed by a car bomb outside Moscow.

Meanwhile, both Trump and Zelenskyy are set to attend Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome this weekend. This will mark the first time the two leaders have seen each other in person since their tense Oval Office exchange in February. Still, it’s unclear if they will hold talks about the war on the sidelines of the event.

Putin will not be attending the funeral, his spokesperson has confirmed.

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