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President Trump said he sees an opening for peace in Ukraine and suggested he would consider traveling to the country to help push an agreement forward, even raising the possibility of urging lawmakers there to accept territorial concessions to Russia. Speaking after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, Trump said peace is “closer than ever before.”
The comments followed a lengthy meeting and working lunch at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump and Zelensky reviewed possible pathways to ending a war Trump described as “the biggest war, certainly the deadliest war, since World War II,” now approaching its fourth year.
Asked at a press conference whether he would personally go to Ukraine to assist negotiations, Trump said, “I’d have no problem with doing it.” He added, “I don’t anticipate it. I would like to get the deal done and not necessarily have to go,” but stressed that he had already offered to address Ukraine’s parliament if that step became necessary.
“I’ve offered to go and speak to their parliament,” Trump said, explaining that such a move could be relevant if Kyiv were asked to give up parts of the Donbas region.
Trump said Washington and Kyiv are largely aligned on Zelensky’s updated 20-point peace proposal, putting agreement at “95 percent,” while acknowledging that territory remains the hardest obstacle.
“There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues,” Trump said, singling out Donbas as an “issue they’re gonna have to iron out, but I think it’s moving in the right direction.”
He warned that delaying an agreement could worsen Ukraine’s position. “I think the land — you’re talking about — some of that land has been taken,” Trump said. “Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months — and you’re better off making a deal now.”
Zelensky, for his part, emphasized that he does not have unilateral authority to give up Ukrainian territory, noting that any such decision would require parliamentary approval or a national referendum.
“It’s their land,” Zelensky said, referring to the Ukrainian public. “The land, not of one person, it’s the land of our nation for a lot of generations.”
Russia’s position remains uncompromising. President Vladimir Putin has insisted Ukraine relinquish the remainder of Donbas, even though Russian forces have been unable to seize it outright since the war began.
Zelensky’s revised plan pares down an earlier 28-point U.S. framework that had been criticized as leaning too far toward Moscow. The new proposal centers on security guarantees from the United States, NATO, and European allies, protections for Ukrainian sovereignty, and a proposed non-aggression arrangement.
Security guarantees, Zelensky said, are the linchpin. “We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework, which includes the 20-point peace plan — 90% agreed, and U.S.-Ukraine security guarantees — 100% agreed. U.S.-Europe-Ukraine security guarantees — almost agreed. Military dimension — 100% agreed,” he said.
Trump said he expects Russia to participate in rebuilding Ukraine once fighting ends and claimed the Kremlin “wants Ukraine to succeed.” Zelensky appeared uneasy as Trump made the remark, offering no public response.
Ukrainian officials have tread carefully around Trump, wary of provoking him. During the press conference, Trump briefly alluded to the volatile Oval Office clash with Zelensky on Feb. 28, a moment that has made Kyiv cautious in its dealings with the president.
Trump framed the stakes starkly. “There’s nothing more important,” he said of ending the conflict. “I solved eight wars, and this is the most difficult one.”
He warned of catastrophic losses if fighting continues. “I think if this goes on, you’re gonna have millions of additional people will be killed, millions, and no one wants that,’’ Trump said.
According to a June 2025 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, roughly 250,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, with total Russian casualties nearing 950,000 and another 50,000 missing. Zelensky said in January that about 400,000 Ukrainians have been killed or wounded, with 35,000 missing.
Despite his optimism, Trump declined to set a timeline for a deal.
Ahead of Sunday’s summit, Zelensky told reporters that Ukraine is “willing to do whatever it takes” to stop the war, even as Russian attacks intensified. Ukrainian officials said the country endured more than 2,100 drone strikes, nearly 800 guided bombs, and 94 missiles in the past week alone.
“Ukraine is willing to do whatever it takes to stop this war. For us, priority number one – or the only priority – is ending the war. For us, the priority is peace. We need to be strong at the negotiating table,” Zelensky said.
Before meeting Zelensky, Trump spoke with Putin and described the call as “good and very productive.” When pressed on details, he deflected, saying only, “We didn’t talk about the weather.” Trump added that he plans to brief Putin after his talks with Zelensky.
Putin struck a far more pessimistic tone on the eve of the summit, signaling little interest in compromise. “If Ukraine does not want to resolve everything peacefully, Russia will resolve all its objectives by military means,” Putin said, according to a translation. Moscow’s demands include major territorial concessions, limits on Ukraine’s armed forces, and a ban on Western alliances.
After the Mar-a-Lago talks, Trump said he and Zelensky spoke by phone with several European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also joined the discussions.
Trump said he expects to convene another round of talks with Ukraine and European partners next month.
Sunday’s meeting marked the first in-person talks between Trump and Zelensky since Oct. 17 and included senior U.S. officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine. Also present were special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and senior adviser Stephen Miller.
{Matzav.com}
Hagaon Rav Meir Greineman was rushed to Sheba Medical Center late Friday night after suffering a cardiac event.
A grandson who had been learning with Rav Greineman on Friday night noticed that he was not responding and immediately summoned emergency medical services. Paramedics arrived at his home and decided to evacuate him to the hospital for urgent care.
Rav Greineman was admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit, where he is receiving close medical supervision. Hospital sources said he is in stable condition and is expected to undergo the implantation of a pacemaker.
Now 93, Rav Greineman is the last surviving nephew of the Chazon Ish zt”l and the author of the seforim Imrei Yosher.
All are asked to daven for Meir ben Tzivia.
{Matzav.com}
A discussion in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee exposed sharp gaps between political promises surrounding the chareidi draft law and the Israel Defense Forces’ actual manpower requirements.
During the heated session, Brig. Gen. Shay Taib, head of the Planning and Manpower Administration Division of the Israel Defense Forces, acknowledged that the targets proposed in the draft law fall well short of what the army needs.
Taib told lawmakers that even if the proposed framework is fully implemented, it will not provide an effective response to the IDF’s immediate manpower shortage. “The answer is still no — far from it,” he said bluntly, rejecting claims that the legislation would resolve the crisis in combat personnel.
According to data presented to the committee, the IDF expects to recruit approximately 10,000 chareidi men over the next two years. However, Taib conceded that a significant portion of those recruits would likely enlist anyway through existing general-track units. He described the political goal of having 35 percent of chareidi recruits serve as combat soldiers as “a very complex event,” noting that many recruits arrive at older ages or with various limitations that complicate combat placement.
One of Taib’s most striking statements concerned the timeline for creating a full chareidi brigade. Even under optimal conditions, he said, the IDF would only be able to establish such a brigade by 2030. “And even then,” he emphasized, “it will not replace the reserve forces.”
Addressing internal concerns within the military, Taib warned against what he termed “symbolic recruitment.” Without a rigorous screening mechanism to ensure that recruits meet the necessary physical and personal criteria, he cautioned, the targets would remain theoretical. Among the tougher alternatives raised was a proposal requiring that at least 50 percent of recruits be under the age of 21, a condition that would directly affect yeshiva students in the traditional post-yeshiva and shidduch-age brackets.
{Matzav.com}
The Satmar Rebbe, Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, personally toured two newly constructed, grand event halls in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, “Eden Yoel” and “Eden Alta Faiga,” which are nearing completion and will soon serve the Satmar community.
During the visit, the Rebbe closely followed the accelerated pace of construction work, receiving detailed updates on the progress toward completing the expansive halls.
The project has drawn particular attention due to its commitment to providing high-quality facilities while adhering to regulated, significantly reduced takanah pricing, ensuring accessibility for families.
Both halls have been dedicated in name and spirit to the revered founders of Satmar: the rebbe Rav Yoel Teitelbaum and the Satmar Rebbetzin.
{Matzav.com}
Dozens of rabbanim and chassidishe rebbes convened Sunday evening in Yerushalayim to mount unified opposition to the proposed draft law in Israel. The location of the meeting was kept confidential until the late afternoon hours, and invitations were delivered quietly, as organizers sought to coordinate an uncompromising response to what they described as an existential threat to the Torah world.
The dramatic gathering took place as the chareidi public had been anticipating a scheduled meeting of the Chassidishe Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah at the residence of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe in Ora, which was ultimately canceled due to the frail health of the Gerrer Rebbe.
In parallel, the emergency assembly went ahead at the Vizhnitz Hall on Rechov Nechemia in Yerushalayim, drawing a cross-section of rabbonim.
Against the backdrop of intense deliberations surrounding the draft law, speakers at the gathering called for heavy pressure to be placed on Agudas Yisroel representatives and other chareidi political parties not to yield to any draft framework. Sharp words were heard from the podium warning of a dangerous escalation. “They began by taking bochurim who were not within the walls of the yeshivos to military prison, and then moved on to taking the finest bochurim,” one speaker declared. “The draft law is exactly that—a law meant to draft.”
A particularly emotional moment gripped the hall during the address of the Slonimer Rebbe, who spoke directly to public criticism leveled at the Torah community. “They tell me that people are dying in war while your sons sit in yeshivos,” he said. “Every day we accept upon ourselves the yoke of malchus Shamayim to give our lives for the Torah. There are values that are above life itself.”
Among those present were rebbes from courts including Slonim, Lelov, Bohush, Zvhill, Skulen Yerushalayim, Biala Bnei Brak, Pinsk-Karlin, Sasov, Vizhnitz Beit Shemesh, and others, alongside various roshei yeshiva and Sephardic rabbanim. Influential mashpi’im and mekubalim also took part.
Following lengthy deliberations, the participants reached a decision to hold a massive public rally on Monday, 16 Teves, in Yerushalayim.
A detailed statement outlining the decisions of the gathering was released. In it, the rabbanim declared their fierce protest against what they termed a “terrible decree of conscription” threatening observant Jews in Eretz Yisroel, with particular reference to the severe targeting of Sephardic yeshiva students. They asserted that the government has effectively declared war on Torah observance, with the aim of uprooting Jewish identity from the hearts of the nation.
The statement further ruled that it is strictly forbidden for any chareidi Jew to enlist in the army, including frameworks marketed as “chareidi tracks,” which the rabbanim said inevitably lead to spiritual destruction. This prohibition, they added, extends as well to alternative state-run programs such as national or civil service. The rabbanim warned against draft legislation that includes quotas, targets, or sanctions, stating that any law that involves agreement—direct or indirect—to the enlistment of chareidim is forbidden to support, even through abstention.
{Matzav.com}[Video below.] A storm of outrage erupted Sunday night following violent clashes between police and chareidi demonstrators at the Givat Shmuel junction, where members of the Peleg Yerushalmi were protesting the arrest of yeshiva students labeled as draft evaders. Graphic footage obtained by Matzav.com shows a police officer striking, choking, and throwing a young chareidi boy to the ground.
The protest took place amid a tense and chaotic evening in Bnei Brak and surrounding access roads, as demonstrators took to the streets in response to recent arrests of yeshiva bochurim. According to eyewitnesses, security forces moved forcefully to disperse the crowd, leading to physical confrontations and scenes that many described as shocking.
As police declared the demonstration illegal and began clearing the roadway, a video published from the scene quickly spread through the chareidi community. The footage shows a police officer slapping a young boy, gripping him by the neck, and hurling him to the ground with apparent brutality.
In response to the uproar, Police Commissioner Danny Levy ordered an immediate internal investigation and instructed that the officer involved be removed from operational duty pending clarification of the incident.
WATCH:
{Matzav.com}
