President Donald Trump took his first steps toward securing a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine last week. Following conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump offered optimism that a peace deal would be reached.

We hope Trump is indeed able to end a war that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and replace it with a peace that provides enduring prosperity and sovereignty for Ukraine. We are also heartened to see that the president appears to have read our Jan. 24 editorial suggesting he meet Putin in Riyadh. The president said Saudi Arabia is likely to host such a meeting.