President Donald Trump on Saturday heaped pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he can either agree to the White House’s peace proposal by Thursday, or “continue to fight his little heart out.”
The comment, made to reporters in Washington, is part of a White House push to get Ukraine’s leaders to agree to a 28-point plan to end its war with Russia. It has drawn criticism, including from Republican lawmakers, for being favorable to Moscow.
The plan forces Ukraine to make concessions long seen as unacceptable to the country, including ceding territory to Russia and significantly reducing the size of the Ukrainian army. It would also bar the presence of any NATO troops on Ukrainian soil.
The plan was drafted by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. It was presented to Zelensky on Thursday. Since then, the White House has been pressuringUkraine to agree to the terms of its deal by Thanksgiving — or lose U.S. support.
On Saturday, however, Trump signaled some flexibility with Zelensky.
When asked if this is his final offer to Ukraine, Trump said, “No,” adding, “I would like to get the peace. It should have happened a long time ago. … We’re trying to get it ended. One way or the other we have to get it ended.”
The proposal drew immediate concern among Ukraine’s allies in Europe.
On the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Johannesburg on Saturday, more than a dozen European leaders drafted a counterproposal, calling the original “a basis which will require additional work.”
The group, which included French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said in a joint statement they are “concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.”
“We reiterate that the implementation of elements relating to the European Union and relating to NATO would need the consent of E.U. and NATO members,” the statement said.
Under the European proposal, no restrictions would be imposed on Kyiv’s armed forces, according to a copy of the deal obtained by The Washington Post. Ukraine would regain control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the Kakhovka Dam, and enjoy “unhindered passages” on the Dnieper River and control of the Kinburn Split. Other territorial disputes will be addressed after a ceasefire, the proposal says.
Senior European officials, including officials from France, Germany and Britain, are set to join talks on the Ukraine peace plan in Geneva on Sunday, according to a European official speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told his security council Friday that the U.S.-proposed plan could serve “as the basis for a final peace settlement,” though he claimed that the U.S. had not yet discussed the proposal in detail with Russia. “Russia is ready for peace talks and peaceful resolution of problems. But this requires, of course, a substantive discussion of all the details of the proposed plan,” Putin said.
In the U.S., even some Republican members of Congress have cast Trump’s peace plan as a reward for Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) wroteSaturday on X that “several areas” of the U.S. proposal “are very problematic and can be made better.”
Graham said “the fate of the almost 20,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped by Putin’s forces” must be addressed in the settlement, also underscoring that “the goal of any peace deal is to end the war honorably and justly — and not create new conflict.”
“This so-called ‘peace plan’ has real problems, and I am highly skeptical it will achieve peace,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a post on X. “Any assurances provided to Putin should not reward his malign behavior or undermine the security of the United States or allies. In particular, any suggestion that we can pursue arms control with a serial liar and killer like Putin should be treated with great skepticism.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), wrote on X that “rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests.” And Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), the chair of the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement on Saturday that he strongly supports imposing “tough, targeted sanctions on Russia to weaken Putin’s war machine and strengthen America’s hand at the negotiating table.”
Michael Birnbaum, Ellen Francis and Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.
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