U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday stepped back from a previously mentioned Thursday deadline for Ukraine to agree to a U.S.-backed peace plan, stating, “the deadline for me is when it’s over.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump said U.S. negotiators were making progress in discussions with Russia and Ukraine, and that Moscow had agreed to some concessions, though he did not provide further details.
The framework for ending the war, first reported last week, had sparked concerns that the Trump administration might pressure Ukraine into a deal favoring Moscow. Trump said his envoy Steve Witkoff would soon travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. He added that his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who helped broker the Gaza ceasefire, was also involved in the negotiations.
Trump had previously indicated that he hoped to see an agreement by Thanksgiving Day. However, he and his aides have since softened the stance, saying they want a deal “as soon as possible” rather than by a set date.
He suggested that Russia currently has the upper hand in the war and implied that it would be in Ukraine’s best interests to reach an agreement, noting that some Ukrainian territory “might be gotten by Russia anyway” in the coming months.
Trump also stated that security guarantees for Ukraine were being negotiated with European partners.
