US envoy declares Trump losing patience on Ukraine

(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly growing increasingly impatient with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to Tom Barrack, Washington’s ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria. In an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV on Monday, Barrack suggested that Trump is reaching his limit regarding the stalled negotiations.

His comments followed a second round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, which lasted about 90 minutes. When asked about Ukraine’s push for a high-level summit involving Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Barrack stressed that any such meeting would need to be productive and result in concrete outcomes. While noting that he couldn’t speak for Trump directly, Barrack emphasized the former president’s well-known lack of patience, particularly with both Zelensky and Putin.

He also highlighted Türkiye’s valuable role as a potential mediator in the peace process.

Trump has long claimed—especially during campaign events—that he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in just 24 hours, though he later admitted those claims were exaggerated. His attempts to act as a mediator have met with skepticism from some NATO allies in Europe, who support continued military aid for Ukraine.

Under pressure from Trump, Ukraine recently dropped its resistance to direct negotiations with Russia. In response, Moscow proposed a summit date, which Zelensky accepted by traveling to Türkiye, expecting Putin’s participation. However, the Kremlin has insisted that a meeting between top leaders should come at the end of the negotiation process, not serve as its starting point. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated on Tuesday that such a trilateral meeting is unlikely to happen soon.

During Monday’s discussions in Istanbul, Ukraine renewed its request for a summit with Trump and Putin. Russia, meanwhile, outlined two possible paths to a ceasefire and offered to return the remains of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers as a goodwill gesture—a move Kiev said it would reciprocate.

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