President Donald Trump has tried to move Ukraine peace talks toward an immediate ceasefire and a longer-term settlement, but Russia's Vladimir Putin is blocking progress by rejecting U.S. proposals and escalating attacks, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker said on Newsmax Saturday.
However, Volker, speaking out after U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said at the 2025 Doha Forum in Qatar that the world is closer than ever to peace in Ukraine, also told Newsmax's "Saturday Report" that he doesn't "think we're actually closer to peace right now."
Trump has tried to do three things to reach a settlement, he noted.
First, the president worked to align Washington and Kyiv behind "an immediate ceasefire and a long-term peace.
"The U.S. and Ukraine do want the same thing here, which is an end to the war," he noted.
Second, Volker said Trump has pushed European allies to "do more, spend more money," and build "a coalition of the willing to deter future Russian attacks."
That effort is producing results, said Volker, adding that Europeans are "stepping up," with commitments to higher defense spending and discussions about troops that could deploy to Ukraine to deter future aggression.
But Volker said the centerpiece problem remains Moscow.
"The place where it is failing is Vladimir Putin," he said. "Vladimir Putin has rejected every single proposal that Donald Trump has made. He has rejected a ceasefire."
Volker said Putin is not negotiating in good faith and is instead "maintaining his maximalist demands and even raising them over time."
This means that the U.S. and its allies must increase pressure on Russia to change Putin's calculus, the former ambassador said.
"We've got to be willing to put in place secondary sanctions and provide long-range weaponry to help Ukraine put that pressure on," he stressed.
Volker also cited continued Russian strikes as evidence that Moscow is escalating rather than seeking peace.
"It's clear here the Russians are the problem," he said. "The Ukrainians want peace."
"We need to put some pressure on Putin to get him to stop the war," Volker added.
"President Trump has talked about it, but we haven't pulled the trigger. It's really time to put in place these extra measures," he concluded.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.