Daijiworld Media Network- Washington

Washington DC, Apr 4: In a significant development, US president Donald Trump stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin are prepared to negotiate a peace deal to end the ongoing conflict.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Trump revealed that he had spoken to Zelenskyy, who expressed readiness for a deal. "I think he's [Zelenskyy] ready to make a deal. And I think that President Putin is ready to make a deal, and you'll stop the killing of thousands of young people a week," Trump remarked, highlighting the urgency to put an end to the violence.

Trump mentioned that Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, was in the United States, though he did not elaborate on the nature of the discussions held. Expressing his commitment to mediating peace, Trump said, "We have an envoy from Russia. We're talking about it [the conflict]. We want the war to stop as soon as possible because thousands of soldiers from both sides are losing their lives every week."

He added that Europe’s efforts to resolve the crisis had not succeeded but remained confident in his own approach. "Europe has not been successful in dealing with President Putin, but I think I will be successful," Trump asserted.

Meanwhile, Russia has initiated one of its largest military conscription rounds in recent years. President Putin has signed a decree for the latest phase of the conscription drive, aimed at recruiting 1,60,000 men between 18 and 30 years of age. The effort, which started on Tuesday and will continue until July 15, marks a significant expansion of the country’s armed forces.

According to Russian state media outlet TASS, this year’s spring conscription effort is set to increase by 10,000 recruits compared to the previous year, and by over 15,000 compared to three years ago.

Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.