'We have never been this close to peace' since Russia invaded Ukraine, Leavitt tells reporters

"He is putting pressure on President Putin and the Russians to do the right thing," Leavitt told reporters. "Yesterday was a productive day for the United States of America and for the world. In terms of peace, we have never been this close to peace."

In celebrating the administration's success, Leavitt pointed out that yesterday NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump's handling of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Rutte told Trump that he "broke the deadlock" in the Russia-Ukraine war with this week's peace talks in Saudi Arabia and the opening of a "dialogue with the Russians."

Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for tougher sanctions on Russia and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to drag out the peace talks to prolong the war.

However, on Thursday, while taking questions from reporters alongside Rutte, Trump said he would prefer peace to sanctions, but noted that there were things the U.S. could do financially that would be "very bad for Russia." He did not specify what that would entail.