The U.S. President chose Thanksgiving Day as the “appropriate time” for the Ukrainian leader to define his stance on the 28-point proposal to end the war.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that he has set a deadline for his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to respond to the U.S. peace plan aimed at ending the war started by the Russian invasion in 2022. The deadline is next Thursday, November 27.
“We have many deadlines, but Thursday seems like an appropriate time,” Trump explained during an interview on Brian Kilmeade’s radio show for Fox News. Next Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
Trump, consistent with rhetoric he has employed for months—particularly since the recent Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin—suggested that Kyiv will have to resign itself to the reality that Russia will retain the eastern part of the country, the Donbas region, as outlined in his plan.
“They are losing territories right now,” Trump said regarding the current state of the conflict, describing the war as a “bloodbath” that Putin wants to end. “It was going to be a one-day thing,” he noted about the fighting, “and they have been at it for four years.”
Despite the pressure on Kyiv to make concessions, the U.S. president insisted that he has no intention of lifting the sanctions currently weighing on Russia, specifically those targeting its energy industry. “The sanctions are going to continue, and they are very strong, because their entire economy is based on oil,” he asserted.
The 28-point peace plan backed by Trump envisages Ukraine ceding the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Russia, among other territorial and military adjustments. According to documentation reviewed by AFP, the text provides for the “de facto” recognition of Crimea as Russian territory, a concession that would be endorsed even by the United States.
According to diplomatic sources, the initiative was crafted confidentially over the past month by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The White House emphasized that the text is still in the discussion stage and that there is no definitive version.
The plan also proposes that two other southern regions, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, be divided along the current front line. This comes as Ukraine faces a renewed Russian offensive that left at least five dead in Zaporizhzhia on Thursday night.
Militarily, the document stipulates that Kyiv must accept a reduction of its armed forces to 600,000 personnel. Furthermore, NATO would commit not to deploy troops on Ukrainian soil, and European fighter jets intended for support would remain stationed in Poland. In exchange, Washington and European allies would offer security guarantees comparable to NATO’s Article 5.
Zelensky, following a meeting with a Pentagon delegation, declared that any peace process must bring a “dignified peace” for Ukraine, respecting the nation’s independence and sovereignty. However, the Ukrainian leader acknowledged the difficult position his country faces: “Ukraine faces a crucial decision, lose dignity or risk losing a key partner.”
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the plan is still under negotiation and review, asserting it has Trump’s full backing. “It is a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine, and we believe it should be acceptable to both parties,” she indicated.
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