'We're getting very close to a deal' on Ukraine: Trump

​​​​​​​WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is nearing an agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

"I've also ended eight wars in nine months, and we're working on that final war. It's not easy, but I don't know. I think we're, we're going to get there," Trump said at a Thanksgiving turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House.

He said in the last month, 25,000 soldiers have died in the war.

"So, I think we're getting very close to a deal; we'll find out. I thought that one would have been gone quicker. We did eight. I thought that would have been an easier one, but I think we're making progress in less than one year," he added.

Earlier, White House said the US has made "tremendous progress" to secure a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia, but several delicate points would require continued discussions.

"There are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States," spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt wrote on US social media company X.

On Sunday, US and Ukrainian officials held talks in Geneva on the initial US’s 28-point proposal to advance peace efforts in Ukraine, after which both announced the drafting of an “updated and refined” peace framework.

The proposal sparked concerns in Kyiv and among its allies, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday that, following negotiations, the US-drafted plan now has “fewer points” and “many of the right elements.”

Ukraine’s National Defense and Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov announced Tuesday that Kyiv and Washington reached a “common understanding” during the Geneva talks on the core terms of the US plan.

He added that Kyiv looked forward to organizing a visit by Zelenskyy to the US “at the earliest suitable date in November” to complete the final steps and make a deal with Trump.