Trump says 'little progress' in resolving Ukraine conflict

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday, December 16, that he is working hard to end the Ukrainian conflict and has already made "a little progress."

"We are trying to stop <conflict> <...> in Ukraine. We're making a little progress," Trump said, speaking at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, he was quoted as saying by CNN.

The Republican also added that his team is actively helping in the process of returning hostages in the Middle East.

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Earlier, on December 13, Trump's team said that he was negotiating with the current administration and Ukrainian officials to end the conflict in Ukraine. It was noted that the Republican has not yet presented concrete plans for a peaceful settlement.

On the same day, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg admitted the end of the conflict in Ukraine in the coming months. According to him, the US President-elect is capable of decisive action on conflict resolution.

Before that, on December 3, was published "Kellogg's Plan" written in April on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, the author of which is the future special envoy of Trump. In his opinion, it is necessary to stop political isolation of the Russian Federation, putting pressure on Moscow and on Kiev, and to start stimulating peaceful settlement more actively. Kellogg suggested the preservation of the liberated territories by Russia, the easing of sanctions and the normalization of relations with the United States.

On November 29, the Foreign Intelligence Service pointed to NATO's desire to freeze the conflict in Ukraine in order to rebuild the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It was noted that the West might plan to use the temporary freezing of the conflict to rebuild the Ukrainian army and prepare for a future offensive.

The special operation to defend Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, is ongoing. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.