President Donald Trump on Monday teased that “something good” could be on the horizon in the Ukraine peace deal as Thursday’s deadline looms, but hedged with a warning not to “believe it until you see it.”
Trump shared his comments at the conclusion of talks between Ukrainian and American negotiators in Geneva, Switzerland on Sunday, saying there is now a “refined peace framework” to propose to Russia. The 28-point plan initially shocked European allies, who alleged the measure would be tantamount to Ukraine’s full capitulation to Moscow’s demands.
“Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine???” Trump said in his post. “Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
The Trump administration has strongly signaled that Ukraine would need to accept the terms of the deal or risk the U.S. withdrawing key aspects of military and intel support. Trump gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thanksgiving Day to agree to a deal.
“It was strongly implied to the Ukrainians that the United States expects them to agree to a peace deal,” a U.S. official previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation Friday.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine is still looking to compromise on the deal speaking at a separate conference in Sweden Sunday with European allies.
“We all continue working with partners, especially the United States, to look for compromises that will strengthen but not weaken us,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader released a video statement Friday in which he declared that the U.S. has put Ukraine in a position of “either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.”
Russia has not yet commented on the new proposal laid out in Geneva, and it remains uncertain whether the terms will be accepted. However, many of the provisions in the plan have been disputed, as the State Department denied rumors that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told members of congress that the leaked 28-point plan was not the administration’s position but instead a Russian document.
The White House deferred to official statements from Ukraine and the U.S.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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