But halting progress, ever-more deadly drone attacks and unmoving negotiating positions seem to have taken their toll. On Thursday, Trump used a striking analogy to concede the warfare was nowhere near over, and that he did not, at that moment, feel it was best to intervene.

President Trump said Russia and Ukraine might need to “keep fighting” before either side is ready for a cease-fire. Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz,