Russia Claims It's Ready for a Ukraine Peace Deal—But With a Few 'Fine-Tunes'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the Kremlin is "ready to reach a deal" to end the war in Ukraine, offering a glimmer of hope for a conflict that’s dragged on for over three years. Lavrov made the comments in an interview set to air in full this Sunday, echoing former President Donald Trump’s take that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are "moving in the right direction."

The diplomatic flurry followed a sharp rebuke from Trump directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin, after deadly strikes in Kyiv. Trump posted online, "I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the peace deal DONE." Hard to argue with that math, honestly.

Despite the optimistic tone, Lavrov admitted there are still "some specific points, elements of the deal, which need to be fine-tuned." Of course, he didn’t spell out exactly what those points are—classic negotiation move, keep ‘em guessing.

Lavrov also made Russia’s position on Crimea crystal clear: they’re not giving it back. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy isn’t budging either, insisting his country can’t recognize Russian control over Crimea, since that would violate Ukraine’s constitution. This didn’t go over well with Trump, who called Zelenskyy’s statement "very harmful" to peace efforts and accused him of making things harder with "inflammatory" language.

Even as Trump insists a deal is within reach, skepticism remains high. Putin hasn’t responded to the latest U.S. proposal, and what exactly would get him to sign off is anyone’s guess. Still, the Trump camp is putting on a brave face, staying publicly optimistic.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said both Ukraine and Russia "want peace right now" and he thinks "they’re ready to do something." He then handed the mic to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who echoed the sentiment: "This war is endable. Both sides just have to agree to it," adding there were "good meetings over the weekend" focused on peace.

Rubio also reminded everyone that the recent deadly Russian strikes should be a wake-up call about how urgent it is to end the conflict. Here’s hoping all this diplomatic talk actually leads somewhere, instead of just circling around the same old arguments.