President Donald Trump has walked back his earlier insistence that Ukraine agree to a U.S.-backed peace plan by Thanksgiving, saying there is no firm deadline for a deal and that “the deadline for me is when it’s over.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Florida for the Thanksgiving break, Trump said U.S. negotiators were making headway in talks with both Kyiv and Moscow, and that Russia had agreed to certain concessions — though he declined to specify what they were.
The emerging U.S. framework for ending the conflict, reported last week, has raised concern that Washington may be pressuring Ukraine into terms that favour Moscow. Trump confirmed that his envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Moscow soon to meet President Vladimir Putin. He also said Jared Kushner, who helped broker the Gaza ceasefire, is involved in the negotiations.
Trump had previously floated Thursday as the date he wanted an agreement in place, but both he and senior officials have since softened the stance, saying they simply aim for a deal “as soon as possible.”
The president also suggested Russia currently holds a battlefield advantage and warned that Ukraine risks losing additional territory in the coming months. He said talks were underway with European partners on potential security guarantees for Kyiv as part of any settlement.
