---
title: "Trump says Ukraine has to want to settle war"
description: "WASHINGTON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Ukraine to make a deal to settle the war with Russia."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "World"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-20-trump-says-ukraine-has-to-want-to-settle-war/"
published: "2026-10-20T21:33:47"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 90
---

# Trump says Ukraine has to want to settle war

> WASHINGTON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Ukraine to make a deal to settle the war with Russia.

By Reuters · Published 20 October 2026, 23:33 SAST

## Content

"Ukraine has to want to settle this war," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff was in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday for talks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the search for an end to Russia's four-year invasion of Ukraine.

Trump suggested Moscow had the upper hand in the fight because "Russia is a big machine - they just keep grinding forward, and that's what they've done. They've taken a very large piece of land."

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Caitlin Webber and David Ljunggren)