Trump Reveals Tensions with European Leaders Over Ukraine Peace Plan

US President Donald Trump has been urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept an American proposal aimed at ending the conflict with Russia.

President Trump revealed Wednesday that he had a tense exchange with European leaders regarding the Ukraine situation, indicating growing disagreements over how to resolve Russia's invasion.

Trump mentioned that European leaders were seeking additional discussions this weekend but cautioned they might be "wasting time" due to differences over the US plan to conclude the war.

"We discussed Ukraine in pretty strong words," Trump stated to reporters when questioned about his phone conversation with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

He continued, "I think we had some little disputes about people, and we're going to see how it turns out. And we said, before we go to a meeting, we want to know some things."

"They would like us to go to a meeting over the weekend in Europe, and we'll make a determination depending on what they come back with. We don't want to be wasting time."

The US President has been pressuring Ukrainian President Zelensky to agree to America's proposal, and claimed that Zelensky hadn't reviewed the plan.

However, Ukrainian officials informed AFP on Wednesday that Kyiv had forwarded an updated version of the plan to Washington.

The initial American proposal, which suggested Ukraine surrender territory that Russia hasn't yet captured, was perceived by Kyiv and European allies as aligning too closely with Russia's stringent demands. This plan has subsequently been modified.

Recent discussions between US officials and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow failed to achieve a breakthrough.

Trump's remarks come amid an expanding rift with Europe after he characterized the continent as "decaying" and "weak" regarding immigration and Ukraine policy, shortly after a new US national security strategy warned that Europe faced "civilizational erasure."

The American leader also gave another indication that he might disengage from a conflict he attributes to his predecessor Joe Biden, a conflict Trump once claimed he could resolve within 24 hours of returning to office in January.

"Sometimes you have to let people fight it out and sometimes you don't," Trump remarked on Wednesday.

"But the problem with letting people fight it out is yet you're losing thousands of people a week. It's ridiculous. The whole thing is ridiculous."