Ukraine war marks four-year milestone

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has now continued for more than four and a half years. Fighting persists despite the repeated efforts of President Donald Trump to end the war. Trump pledged to resolve the conflict before taking office. He stated that he wanted people to stop dying rather than choose a side.

The president has met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy twice at the White House. He also met once with Russian President Vladimir Putin in August 2025. That summit took place in Anchorage, Alaska. Trump described the session with Putin as very productive. He noted that the leaders agreed on many points but had not yet reached a final deal.

Trump signed bipartisan legislation on September 18 to impose sanctions and tariffs on Russia. The bill was named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. On October 16, Trump signed an executive order that waived those specific sanctions. The move reversed the financial pressures applied just weeks earlier.

The campaign promise to settle the war remains unfulfilled. Trump said at a rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in July 2023 that he would have the war settled before arriving at the Oval Office. He told supporters he was on the side of people who wanted the fighting to stop. The current timeline shows the conflict extending well past that initial prediction.