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‘Big progress’ in Ukraine peace deal? Trump says ‘don’t believe it until you see it’
In a joint statement earlier, US and Ukraine officials said both sides had prepared a "refined peace framework" after their discussions in Geneva.
A day after US and Ukrainian officials met to discuss the proposal to end the war in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump on Monday said that ‘something good’ might be happening, while also asking cryptically if ‘big progress’ was being made in the peace deal. This comes ahead of Trump’s deadline of November 27 for Ukraine to accept his proposal to end Russia’s war in the region.
In Geneva, senior officials from both countries had met to revise the 28-point draft plan. Ukraine said the latest version included some of its own points. Top Ukrainian officials also met US secretary of state Marco Rubio to review whether Trump’s proposal could work.
Trump’s post on Ukraine peace deal
In the post on Truth Social, the US President wrote, “Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine???”
He added, “Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
Trump hinting “big progress” in the deal comes after he lashed out at Ukranian leadership on Sunday for “expressing zero gratitude” for his efforts to stop the conflict.
However Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote later in a social media post: “Ukraine is grateful to the United States, to every American heart, and personally to President Trump for the assistance that -- starting with the Javelins -- has been saving Ukrainian lives”.
Zelensky, EU chiefs, Germany's Merz on the peace deal
In a joint statement, US and Ukraine officials said both sides had prepared a "refined peace framework" after their discussions in Geneva. "The talks were constructive, focused, and respectful, underscoring the shared commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace," the joint statement said.
On Monday, Zelensky hailed “important steps” but said that more work was needed to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
"In the steps we have coordinated with the side of the US, we've managed to keep extremely sensitive points," he told a conference in Sweden.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the progress towards a deal to end the war in Ukraine, but said some issues were still unresolved. “While work remains to be done, there is now a solid basis for moving forward,” she said.
"There is a new momentum in peace negotiations," European Council President Antonio Costa said.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Europe must agree to the plan to end the war in Ukraine. “It is important to us that there can be no peace plan for Ukraine if we do not give our consent to issues that affect European interests and European sovereignty,” he said.
Ukraine peace deal
The first 28-point proposal offered by the United States last week asked Ukraine to give up territory, reduce its military and agree to stay out of NATO.
In their counter plan, Ukraine and its European partners said talks with Russia on any exchange of territory can begin only after the war stops along the current line of contact, Bloomberg reported quoting people aware of the matter.
Rubio also said that 28-point peace plan had been put together with input from Russia, and that it also included earlier points from Ukraine.
