US President Donald Trump has said next Thursday remains an “appropriate” deadline for Ukraine to respond to the US-backed peace proposal while signalling the timeline could be extended if negotiations show progress.
In an interview with Fox News Radio on Friday, Trump was asked about reports about the 28-point peace plan and setting a deadline for Kiev.
“I’ve had a lot of deadlines,” he said.
“If things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines. But Thursday, we think, is an appropriate time.”
The date falls on November 27, the US Thanksgiving holiday.
He said the 28-point proposal aims to halt the bloodshed. “We’re in it for one thing: we want the killing to stop.”
Territorial concessions
Acknowledging territorial concessions that the US-drafted plan would require of Kiev in the eastern Donbas region, Trump said Ukraine “will lose” that land anyway; “in a short period of time, they are losing land.”
On concerns that Russia could threaten other regions if its demands are met in Ukraine, including the Baltics or other European countries, Trump said Moscow “will be stopped”, adding, “They are not looking for more war. They are taking punishment.”
The reported draft includes demands for Ukraine to forgo NATO membership, recognise Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk as de facto Russian-controlled, and pull back forces to create a demilitarised zone in Donbas in exchange for security guarantees modelled on NATO’s collective defence principle.
Putin backs plan
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the US plan could "lay the foundation" for a Ukraine peace deal, confirming for the first time that Moscow had received a copy from the United States.
"I believe that it could lay the foundation for a final peace settlement," he said, referring to Washington's 28-point plan, which enshrines many of Moscow's key demands and has raised concerns in Kiev and Europe.
Putin threatened to seize more territory if Kiev rejects the proposal, saying that the claimed recent capture of the Ukrainian city of Kupiansk "will inevitably be repeated in other key areas".
Russian President Putin said Moscow remains open to negotiations and said the American document, updated after the recent Alaska summit, contains elements that Russia is willing to discuss.
“I believe that it can be used as the basis for a final peace settlement,” he said, referring to the US proposal, as quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.
He claimed Moscow had already signalled readiness to show “the flexibility requested by Washington” during the Anchorage discussions, despite what he described as unresolved issues.
Zelenskyy, EU deliberate
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, underlined that Kiev is coordinating closely with its partners to ensure that its core positions are reflected in the negotiations, adding that he intends to discuss the US proposals directly with Trump.
Meanwhile, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen insisted that Ukraine must have a central role in deciding its future and said European leaders would hold discussions on a US peace plan on Saturday.
European Council President Antonio Costa insisted that there should be "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," following a discussion with Zelenskyy on the US peace proposal.
"Today, we have discussed the current situation, and we are clear that there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," von der Leyen and Costa said on X.
