President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to broker a peace deal in Ukraine, but as he prepares to take office, peace seems as elusive as ever

The war has reached a critical point. A real peace seems unlikely, but a ceasefire is possible, most experts agree. The question is whether it can be achieved without placing Ukraine in further peril.

Ukrainians remain sceptical about Donald Trump's ability to swiftly end the ongoing conflict with Russia. Many, like student Liudmyla Parybus and bakery owner Hanna Horbachova, feel that Ukraine's fate is in their own hands.

For peace to prevail, a compromise needs to be reached not only between Russia and Ukraine but also between the US Trump-led West and Russia.

"I will be 100% on board with taking sanctions up," Treasury Secretary-pick Scott Bessent told lawmakers on Thursday.

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump vowed to quickly end the war in Ukraine. He’d do it in “24 hours” after taking the oath, he said, or even before his inauguration. But as he prepares to return to the White House,

Those fighting for Ukraine and those who have lost loved ones hope to end the war with Russia on their own terms.

Forcing Ukraine to negotiate with Russia before it regains the advantage on the battlefield would be a catastrophic mistake, officials in Kyiv have warned ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Ukrainian serviceman Volodya was conflicted about the prospect of a truce between Ukraine and Russia, which would leave his hometown and his mother, under Russian occupation.