Polish PM Tusk says pause in Ukraine war could be close

A pause in the conflict in Ukraine could be close, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday (8 August) after speaking to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Thursday, as the U.S. president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war, now in its fourth year, after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions.

“There are certain signals, and we also have an intuition, that perhaps a freeze in the conflict – I don’t want to say the end, but a freeze in the conflict – is closer than it is further away,” he told a news conference “There are hopes for this.”

Many analysts predict that Russia’s war on Ukraine could end as a “frozen conflict,” a stalemate that preserves tensions and instability without a clear resolution, an outcome widely regarded as unfavorable for regional stability and Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Tusk said Zelenskyy was “very cautious but optimistic” and that Ukraine was keen that Poland and other European countries play a role in planning for a ceasefire and an eventual peace settlement.

NATO member Poland has been a staunch supporter of its eastern neighbour Ukraine since Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into the country in February 2022, citing threats to Russian security and plunging Moscow’s relations with the West into deep crisis. Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is engaged in a imperial-style land grab.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with Tusk about “the available diplomatic options and agreed to coordinate and work together for our common European interests”. He had also informed the Polish prime minister about his conversations with Trump and other European leaders earlier this week.

“Ukraine, Poland, and other European nations alike need strong foundations for their security and independence,” Zelenskyy said. “A reliable peace is essential for all, and I am grateful for the readiness (of allies) to help along this path.”

Zelenskyy said Europe must be involved in the peace process as he spoke on Thursday to European leaders, who are seen as more sympathetic to Kyiv’s cause amid Trump’s previous criticism of the Ukrainian leader.

Russia’s deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Thursday that Putin may meet with Trump next week, but said he was not aware of any planned meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.

“As far as I heard, there are a number of locations, but they agreed to something that they don’t want to disclose. The timeline is, I think, next week, but that’s again judging from what presidents said themselves,” Polyanskiy told reporters about the Putin-Trump meeting.

“I haven’t heard about any meeting planned with President Zelenskyy, but I am not in the loop,” he added.

There has been no summit of U.S. and Russian leaders since Putin and former President Joe Biden met in Geneva in June 2021.

Putin, at a meeting with the president of the United Arab Emirates, said the UAE would be an “entirely suitable” venue for the meeting but stopped short of confirming that the Gulf country would be the host.

Polyanskiy said of the Trump-Putin meeting that “as far as I heard, there are a number of locations but they agreed to something that they don’t want to disclose.”

On Friday Fox News reported that Putin and Trump could meet as early as Monday with the Italian capital Rome as one of the destinations under discussion. If the meeting does take place later next week, the venue could be another city in Europe. Meanwhile, TASS quoted Fox News as saying that the meeting was scheduled for Monday, but added that its Kremlin source had ruled out Rome as a venue.

The possibility for a Rome meeting is complicated by an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against Putin on 17 March 2023, for war crimes related to the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Trump has threatened new sanctions from Friday against Russia and countries that buy its exports unless Putin agrees to end the 3-1/2-year conflict, the deadliest in Europe since World War Two.

Asked whether the Friday deadline to agree to a ceasefire still stood, Trump told reporters: “It’s gonna be up to him. We’re going to see what he has to say.”

On Wednesday he imposed higher tariffs against India for buying Russian oil and said similar additional duties may follow on China, the other top buyer of Russian crude oil. It was not clear if he would announce further steps once his Friday deadline expires.

Moves on a possible bilateral come following a three-hour meeting on Wednesday between Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff and Putin in Moscow.

With Reuters, edited by g.g.

Caption: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks during the appointment of new ministers ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, 24 July 2025. President Duda appointed new ministers in a reshuffled cabinet. EPA/Pawel Supernak