US President Donald Trump said in an interview on Fox News Radio on Friday that next Thursday, when the United States celebrates Thanksgiving, is a “reasonable” deadline for Ukraine to accept his proposed peace plan to end the war with Russia.
“We've had a lot of deadlines, but if things go well, you're inclined to extend them. But we think Thursday is an appropriate deadline,” Trump said on Fox News Radio, referring to the deadline he gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to comment on the draft 28-point peace plan advanced by the US.
Ukraine, now under great pressure to accept the framework of the peace agreement negotiated by the US and Russia / It has until next week / Zelenski, emergency discussion with three European leaders
His clarification comes after the Reuters agency and the Washington Post publication reported, citing anonymous sources, that the United States sent Zelenski an ultimatum until November 27, Thanksgiving Day, to accept the plan, otherwise he risks losing US support, that is, Washington will stop transfers of military equipment and information to Kiev, writes Agerpres.
Trump believes that Putin is “not looking for more trouble” and that he has learned his lesson
Asked in the same interview about the proposed plan, which would involve ceding Ukrainian territories to Russia, Trump emphasized that Ukraine is “already losing territory” in this war anyway, which he described as a conflict “out of control, a massacre.”
The American president also wanted to mention that in this war the United States provided Ukraine with “the best military equipment in the world”.
As for the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin may decide to attack other European countries in the future, Trump expressed his belief that the Kremlin leader is “not looking for more trouble” and that he has learned the lesson of a war “that should have lasted one day, but has been going on for four years.”
The US president also mentioned the entry into force of new US sanctions on Friday, targeting two of Russia's largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, sanctions that he described as “very strong”.
“Ukraine is faced with a difficult decision,” Zelensky said of the imposed peace plan
In a video message to the nation, President Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukraine risks losing American support if it rejects the plan advanced by the US to end the war with Russia, adding, however, that it will offer the United States “alternatives” to the proposed plan, while Kiev's European allies, who have had negative reactions to the peace plan advanced by the US, in the development of which Washington did not consult them, are preparing with Ukraine a counterproposal of the peace plan.
“We are in one of the most difficult moments in our history. It is one of the moments of great pressure on Ukraine. Ukraine may now face very difficult choices. Either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner. Either 28 difficult points or an extremely complicated winter,” Zelenskiy emphasized in his message.
VIDEO Volodymyr Zelensky: “Ukraine is faced with a difficult decision, loss of dignity or loss of a key partner.” The president's message to the nation about the peace plan negotiated by the US and Russia
What is contained in the 28-point peace plan that Trump is imposing on Kiev
The plan proposed by the US mainly provides for Ukraine to completely cede the Donbas region (consisting of the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk) to Russia, which together with the Crimean peninsula would be de facto recognized as Russian, but the territories of Donbas ceded to Russia and not currently under its control would become demilitarized buffer zones, while Kherson and Zaporozhye provinces in the south and southeast would also be de facto divided along the current line of the front, which will be frozen. Instead, Russia would withdraw from the occupied Ukrainian territories in the central-eastern province of Dnipropetrovsk and in the northeastern province of Kharkiv.
Also, Ukraine is requested to limit its armed forces, reducing its numbers to no more than 600,000 soldiers, to give up all long-range weapons, as well as the aspiration to join NATO, a commitment of military neutrality to be written into the Constitution.
Instead, Ukraine could receive Western security guarantees whereby an attack on it would be considered an attack on the “transatlantic community”, but without the presence of foreign troops on its territory. However, European fighter jets will be able to station themselves in neighboring Poland, within the framework of security guarantees.
What does the 28-point peace plan that Trump is imposing on Kiev contain, in full / Ukraine cedes territories, reduces its army, receives security guarantees in return
The plan also contains a series of clauses of an economic nature. Thus, one hundred billion euros from Russia's assets frozen in the West would be directed to the reconstruction of Ukraine, but Kiev's European allies will have to contribute another hundred billion euros to this effort, while the US would obtain profits from participating in the reconstruction activities.
On the other hand, the energy supplied by the Ukrainian Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian troops, would be shared equally between Ukraine and Russia.
As for the Western sanctions imposed on Russia, the plan mentions their gradual lifting.
The plan also provides for Ukraine to organize elections within one hundred days and to recognize by law the use of the Russian language in education and in the mass media.
President Zelensky, himself weakened by a corruption scandal involving his close aides, is now under double pressure from both Washington and Moscow, which on Friday asked him to accept negotiations without delay before losing more territory, while the situation of the Ukrainian army on the frontline deteriorates.
