Trump Suggests Ukraine’s Borders Could Change and Says a Deal Is Close

U.S. President Donald Trump believes that an agreement to end the war in Ukraine could be reached in the near future. At the same time, he allows that Ukraine’s borders may change once the conflict is resolved. He made these remarks in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes”.

The host asked whether the U.S. president expects Ukraine to remain free and independent.

“I think we’ll have a deal, and I think it will happen. As a result, Ukraine will have somewhat different borders. Listen, this war should never have happened at all. If I had been president, it would never have started,” Donald Trump said.

During the interview, the journalist recalled Trump’s efforts to secure peace and the fact that the fighting is still ongoing. Asked what was preventing the war from ending, the president replied:

“The hatred between Zelenskyy and Putin… If I had been president, this war would never have started. There was no chance of it. But it did start, so I inherited this war. I believe we are very close to reaching a deal,” Donald Trump said.

When the host suggested comparing the level of trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Trump declined to choose between them. He explained that he has good relations with both.

The U.S. president also mentioned an upcoming meeting. Judging by the context, he was likely referring to talks between representatives of Ukraine, the U.S. and Russia in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for November 10–11. Trump himself described his personal involvement as the decisive factor in ending the war.

The host noted that Zelenskyy’s dissatisfaction with Russia’s actions was understandable, since it was Russia that invaded Ukraine. In response, Trump turned to the subject of the parties’ first contacts.

“Well, that’s understandable, but all of this was very, very… When they had their first meetings, Russia was shown a great deal of disrespect. So I’m not going to say anything… During all four years of my presidency, this war never started. And it never would have started, although Putin wanted it very much,” Donald Trump noted.

Another question was whether Putin was dragging out the negotiations and misleading the U.S. president. Trump answered no. He also rejected the accusation that he had not been tough enough on Moscow, citing the sanctions and trade restrictions he had imposed.

“No one has been tougher on Russia than I have,” Donald Trump stressed.

The president explained that allowing exports of Russian oil and diesel fuel was necessary to meet the needs of the global market. According to him, the decision did not involve supplying energy resources directly to the U.S.

Speaking about support for Ukraine, Trump compared his policy with that of former President Barack Obama. He said the Obama administration provided non-lethal aid, including blankets, while his own administration supplied anti-tank weapons.

Regarding current deliveries, the host pointed out that weapons were arriving mainly through European countries. Trump disputed this description, insisting that the U.S. remained the supplier.

“I provide weapons to Europe, sell them at full price, and they pay us,” Donald Trump explained.

The president called the previous U.S. aid to Ukraine, which he put at $350 billion, excessive. In his view, European countries could have funded support for Kyiv themselves. At the same time, he praised Ukrainian troops for their courage and ability to use the weapons supplied to them effectively.

Another part of the interview focused on restrictions affecting the Starlink satellite system and the Starshield military system in Ukraine. The journalist asked who controlled their operation in the combat zone—the U.S. president or SpaceX owner Elon Musk.

Trump said he did not know why the connection might have slowed down and did not believe that he or Musk was responsible.

“It hasn’t been proven that the speed was actually reduced. There’s a lot of lying in this war. But I know one thing: when I heard about it, the speed was increased again,” Donald Trump added.

We previously reported:

• Trump believes Ukraine and Russia are ready for a deal to end the war
• The EU instead of NATO: possible terms of peace being discussed by the U.S.
• Musk restored Ukraine’s access to Starlink terminals — Trump
• Peace at the cost of Donbas? U.S. prepares a new plan to end the war with security guarantees and economic agreements
• Diesel fuel as a path to negotiations: U.S. bets on a deal, Kyiv skeptical