Trump Casts Doubt on Zelensky’s Peace Proposal Ahead of Planned Talks

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has voiced skepticism toward Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s latest proposal for ending the conflict with Russia, indicating that any progress on peace talks would depend on his approval.

Trump’s comments come ahead of a planned meeting with Zelensky in Florida on Sunday. Earlier in the week, the Ukrainian leader unveiled a 20-point peace framework that calls for a freeze along the current front lines in the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, Russia’s withdrawal from several territories claimed by Kiev, and the maintenance of an 800,000-strong Ukrainian military supported by NATO members.

The plan also seeks security guarantees for Ukraine similar to NATO’s Article 5, involving the US, NATO and European states.

In an interview with Politico on Friday, Trump suggested he was not prepared to endorse the initiative. “He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump said, adding that he would first assess the proposal in detail.

Moscow reacted cautiously to Zelensky’s plan. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said the proposal differs sharply from a separate framework that Russia has reportedly been discussing with the United States in recent weeks. According to Ryabkov, the Ukrainian plan bears little resemblance to a 27-point draft that had been under consideration in talks with Washington.

Media reports indicate that an earlier US-drafted proposal, which surfaced in November, included provisions requiring Ukraine to give up parts of the Donbass still under its control, commit to non-alignment with NATO, and reduce its armed forces to around 600,000 personnel, alongside a freeze of hostilities in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.

Russian officials have said that version could serve as a basis for negotiations, while several European Union states have signaled opposition to significant concessions by Kiev.

Russia has repeatedly stated that any lasting settlement would require Ukraine to accept new territorial realities and agree to neutrality, demilitarization and what Moscow describes as denazification.