Trump says Russia has shown willingness for peace by not taking over all of Ukraine, calls it 'pretty big concession'

President Donald Trump on April 24 described Russia’s failure to seize all of Ukraine as a "pretty big concession," a comment that has sparked renewed criticism of his approach to the war.

During a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters that Moscow’s inability to fully occupy Ukraine reflects pressure he claims to be applying behind the scenes. "Stopping the war, stopping [from] taking the whole country," he said, framing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unfulfilled invasion goals as a meaningful compromise.

Trump's remarks followed Russia's mass missile attack on Ukraine overnight on April 24, which sent a combined 215 missiles and drones at the country. Many of the missiles and drones targeted Kyiv, where the attack killed 12 people, including two children from the same family. At least ninety more people were wounded as the strike damaged dozens of apartment buildings, a school, and a kindergarten.

Trump insisted he is working to end the war through private diplomacy.

When asked what he was asking of Putin to match the extensive concessions Ukraine has been pressured to make, Trump said: "I’m putting a lot of pressure. You don’t know what pressure I’m putting. They’re dealing. You have no idea what pressure I’m putting on Russia. We’re putting a lot of pressure ... and Russia knows that and some people who are close to it know or he wouldn’t be talking right now."

His claim that Russia’s failure to end Ukraine’s existence should be seen as generosity disregards the reality that it was Ukrainian military resistance—not restraint by Moscow—that blocked the Kremlin’s original aims.

The full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022, was intended to dismantle Ukraine as a sovereign nation and expand Russia’s influence. On April 24, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was "not happy" about Russia’s latest deadly strike.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in South Africa at the time, called for the world to recognize Russia’s continued aggression. "It is extremely important that everyone around the world sees and understands what is really happening," he said.

Trump, for his part, condemned the timing of the attack. “I didn't like last night. I wasn't happy with it, and we're in the midst of talking peace and missiles were fired, that I was not happy with it,” he said.

When asked whether he would impose more sanctions on Russia, he said: "I’d rather answer that question in a week. I want to see if we can have a deal." He added that there is a deadline for peace talks: “We want it to be fast... we have a deadline, and after that we’re going to have a very much different attitude. But I think there's a very good chance of getting done.”