'We have never been this close to peace' since Russia invaded Ukraine, Leavitt tells reporters

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Friday that "we have never been closer to peace," as the U.S. waits for Russia’s answer on a 30-day ceasefire agreement. Ukraine accepted the deal earlier this week after a meeting with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia, on the condition that Moscow commits to the plan.

Leavitt noted that this morning President Donald Trump put out a scathing Truth Social post that included a message urging the Russians to accept the U.S. ceasefire proposal.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with members of the media outside of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 14, 2025. (REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

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"He is putting pressure on President Putin and the Russians to do the right thing," Leavitt told reporters. "Yesterday was a productive day for the United States of America and for the world. In terms of peace, we have never been this close to peace."

In celebrating the administration’s success, Leavitt pointed out that yesterday NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Rutte told Trump that he "broke the deadlock" in the Russia-Ukraine war with this week’s peace talks in Saudi Arabia and the opening of a "dialogue with the Russians."

(REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

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"Ukraine, you broke the deadlock, as you said, all the killing and the young people dying, cities getting destroyed. And the fact that you did that, you started a dialogue with the Russians and the successful talks in Saudi Arabia, now with the Ukrainians. I really want to commend you for this," Rutte said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via REUTERS/Leah Millis/Alina Smutko)

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Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for tougher sanctions on Russia and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to drag out the peace talks to prolong the war.

However, on Thursday, while taking questions from reporters alongside Rutte, Trump said he would prefer peace to sanctions, but noted that there were things the U.S. could do financially that would be "very bad for Russia." He did not specify what that would entail.