Things were a bit less chilly in the Oval Office on Wednesday as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance met with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin than they were a week-and-a-half ago during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decidedly tense visit. This was true even when the topic of Ukraine and a potential peace deal were brought up.  

Martin, in fact, was complimentary of Trump and his administration's efforts at obtaining a peace deal. 

.@MichealMartinTD to @POTUS: "I commend you in terms of the work that you're doing, particularly in terms of the pursuit of PEACE." pic.twitter.com/aS90LQwGLr

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 12, 2025

MARTIN: I thank you for your hospitality and the warmth of your reception. And I commend you in terms of the work that you are doing, particularly in terms of the pursuit of peace, which we discussed earlier. I think that's going well. And you really have in the first sort of 100 years (sic?) of this government, you've done some extraordinary things very quickly. Everybody's watching in that respect. 

Zelensky Attempts Oval Office Grandstanding; Finds Out Trump and Vance Don't Play That Game

NEW: Zelensky Makes Official Apology for Oval Office Blow-Up, but the Path Forward Just Got Murkier

Trump elaborated on the ceasefire framework when asked about it by a reporter, emphasizing his motivation to see an end to the death and destruction wrought by the war — something he's mentioned repeatedly as he's advocated for a peace deal. 

US President Donald Trump speaks about the Ukraine ceasefire plan and why he thinks 'it makes sense for Russia' to accept the deal.

Live updates ➡️ https://t.co/nUs0Ba7Ff2

📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/ZbEuZn9M2M

— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 12, 2025

REPORTER: You spoke to Vladimir Putin for quite a while on the phone...so I want to know your assessment when you take this deal to him now — how do you assess the chances of Putin accepting —

TRUMP: I have no assessment, and I don't go by chances. I think it makes sense for Russia — a lot of downside for Russia, too. And we have a very complex situation solved on one side — pretty much solved. We've also discussed land and other things that, you know, go with it. We're not just doing it and saying, "Ceasefire — we don't know what's happening." We know the areas of land we're talking about, whether it's pulled back or not pulled back. You know, we've discussed a lot of the details of what has to go because we don't want to be wasting time. 

We don't want to be wasting time while people are dying. I mean, as we're sitting here, you probably had two people die on that very open field. You know it's dead flat — it's great farmland, and it's dead flat; there's no protection. The only thing that stops a bullet is a human body — and these are bodies that are young people, and they're stopping a lot of bullets because a lot of bullets are flying across those level fields — dead flat, no protection whatsoever. It is a disaster. And so I hope he's going to — I hope he's going to have a ceasefire.

Vance then joined in the conversation, echoing Trump's cautious optimism and noting where the process stands currently. 

.@VP: "We think we're in a very good place where the Ukranians have agreed to a ceasefire and we're now going to see whether we can get the Russians to agree to a ceasefire too." pic.twitter.com/w0B8dmiKbC

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 12, 2025

VANCE: Well, we've got some conversations that are happening on the phone and in person with some of our representatives over the next couple of days. As the president said, we think that we're in a very good place where the Ukrainians have agreed to a ceasefire, and we're now going to see whether we can get the Russians to agree to a ceasefire, too. And we'll certainly have news on that when we find out that news.

Martin noted the complexity of achieving a lasting peace and again acknowledged Trump's critical role in the peace process. 

.@MichealMartinTD: "I want to pay tribute to @POTUS on the peace initiatives... the war in Ukraine is a devastating war... we're shocked at the prospect of young people losing their lives in that number... anything we can do to stop the violence is an extremely positive thing." pic.twitter.com/win08kqB0k

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 12, 2025

MARTIN: I'd like to pay tribute to the president on the peace initiatives. The one thing we've learned in Ireland about the peace process that you've just spoken about — and I recall back in the early 90s when the first tentative steps to get peace in Ireland — people criticized people like John Hume or people like Albert Reynolds, the then-Taoiseach, but they kept going. And when we got that ceasefire in '93 — okay, it took a number of years to get the comprehensive peace settlement, but the guns more or less largely went silent. 

The war in Ukraine is a devastating war for young people, and I think that very simple, straightforward narrative is to be commended. We all have children. We are shocked at the prospect of young people losing their lives in that number, be they Ukrainian, be they Russian, whatever. Anything we can do to stop the violence, I think, is an extremely positive thing. And there will be all sorts of people having qualifications on the rest of it. It's our job then to work on it and try and deliver (for) Europe and the U.S.A.

BREAKING: Ukraine Agrees to 30-Day Ceasefire; Now the Ball Is in Putin's Court

The Irish leader's meeting with the president and vice president comes on the heels of Tuesday's announcement that Ukraine has accepted a 30-day ceasefire (subject to Russia's acceptance and concurrent implementation). 

As Vance and Trump indicated, the conversations are happening with Russia now and over the next few days, and we'll soon know if they're on board. 

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