US President Donald Trump said on October 31 that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine was close, even as new US-Ukraine-Russia trilateral talks were being prepared and Turkey and Ukraine moved separately on Black Sea security and grain shipments.

Trump made the remarks in an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson that was published the same day. He said he believed the two sides were moving toward an agreement and did not rule out a breakthrough at the December G20 in Florida. The comments signaled optimism, but they did not confirm that a deal had been finalized or that any signing date had been set.

Trump raises expectations for a breakthrough

The US president acknowledged the deep hostility between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, but said there were very good chances of resolving the war. His comments come as Washington, Kyiv and Moscow are preparing fresh trilateral talks aimed at ending the conflict that began in February 2022.

Trump’s assessment also diverges from that of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said he did not know whether negotiated peace in Ukraine was achievable. Rubio said the United States was trying to find out and added that he did not think anyone was claiming a settlement was imminent.

Black Sea talks run on a separate track

In Istanbul, Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said they would work together on a new grain corridor across the Black Sea. The plan is a joint effort to get the route operating, not an immediate restart, and serious security questions remain.

Zelensky said Turkey supports efforts to keep navigation safe in the Black Sea and to restore normal life in the wider region. Erdoğan warned that attacks on civilian vessels could escalate tensions further and said such strikes were unacceptable regardless of who carried them out.

The Turkish president said Ankara would continue contacts with both Russia and Ukraine to help restore Black Sea security and navigation. He also linked maritime safety to the wider peace effort, saying Turkey is ready to keep pressing for a way forward.

The latest diplomacy leaves the war at the centre of several overlapping talks: the prospect of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, and a separate effort to protect shipping in the Black Sea. The first remains unconfirmed, and the second still faces serious unresolved security issues.