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Ukrainian attacks inside Russia are helping push Moscow and Kyiv closer to the negotiating table, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said on Saturday, as President Donald Trump continues pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate an end to the war.
Whitaker emphasized during “The Big Weekend Show” that it would take the cooperation of both adversaries to end the war, but said Ukraine “continuing to make strong attacks on Russia… is helping to, I think, bring the sides closer together.”
The ambassador cautioned that Moscow and Kyiv still remain “a long way apart” on key issues, adding that the resolution would not come through hostilities.
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A composite image shows Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (R) as peace talks continue. (Valery Sharifulin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images; Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
“This conflict is not going to be resolved on the battlefield. It’s only going to [be resolved] through diplomacy and negotiation,” he said.
“That’s why President Trump and his team continue to talk to both sides to find any similarities between the positions to bring them together.”
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Matthew Whitaker, U.S. ambassador to NATO, is seen following an interview at the Bled Strategic Forum in Bled, Slovenia, on Sept. 2, 2025. (Petar Santini/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
If Putin is unwilling to compromise, striking a deal will be “impossible,” said Whitaker.
“But I think if there’s a deal to be made, President Trump is a businessman, he’s a dealmaker, and I think he’ll make the deal.”
Trump said Saturday that 25,000 people were killed last month and another 32,000 the month before in the war between Ukraine and Russia.
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“Last month, 25,000 people died in the Ukraine-Russia war, okay? Twenty-five thousand,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn.
“The month before that, 32,000 people died … mostly soldiers, 97% soldiers,” he added. “But whether they’re soldiers or civilians, think of it: 32,000. Two months ago, 33,000 people; this month, 25,000 people died. What a shame.”
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Russia alone has lost as many as 450,000 soldiers since invading Ukraine in 2022, according to the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.