U.S. President Donald Trump tied his push for peace in Ukraine to a personal, spiritual goal in a Fox News interview on Aug. 19.
"If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that's a pretty... I want to try to get to heaven if possible, I'm hearing that I'm not doing well," Trump said.
Asked about the remark at a press briefing later the same day, White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt said the president was serious. "I think the president wants to get to heaven, as I hope we all do in this room as well."
She also confirmed that Russia's President Vladimir Putin told Trump by phone that he had agreed to begin the next stage of the peace process. This phase would include a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, followed by a trilateral summit with Trump "if necessary."
The comments came as President Volodymyr Zelensky alongside numerous European leaders met Trump at the White House on Aug. 18. The positive tone of the meeting marked a sharp departure from their contentious encounter in February.
Zelensky’s trip to Washington came just a few days after Trump hosted Putin in Alaska, the first time the Russian leader had been invited to the U.S. in a decade and his first visit to a Western country since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russian state media hailed the Alaska summit — where Putin was welcomed with a red carpet and warm reception — as the end of Moscow’s international isolation.
While Trump had promised tougher sanctions on Russia if no peace deal was reached, he shifted course after the meeting. Speaking afterward, Trump told Fox News that Moscow and Washington had "largely agreed" on territorial swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine, raising concerns in Kyiv and across Europe.
Leavitt later defended the administration’s approach: "President Trump is the only president this century, Republican or Democrat, who has held Russia in check and ensured peace in Europe. That's because Russia has always greatly respected President Trump and his peace through strength foreign policy approach."
She described the Alaska talks with Putin as "very productive," adding that "multiple key points were agreed to between the two leaders that truly opened up the door for phase two discussions, which took place yesterday here at the White House."
When asked what gave Trump confidence Putin would be willing to make a deal, Leavitt pointed to "several conversations by phone and of course an in-person meeting last Friday with President Putin."
She added that Trump has also spoken "dozens of times" with Zelensky, including during the White House meeting a day earlier, and "he's understanding what both sides want, what both sides are going to have to give up."
"And he has always said, in order to get a good deal, both sides are going to have to walk away a little bit unhappy," she added.
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