Trump's Ukraine Peace Plan: Negotiations Progress as President Awaits Final Deal Before Meeting Putin and Zelenskyy

President Trump has dispatched top negotiators for additional high-level meetings with Russia and Ukraine, stating he would only meet with the leaders of these nations if talks produce a conclusive agreement to end the conflict.

In a Tuesday social media statement, Trump announced, "The original 28-Point Peace Plan, drafted by the United States, has been refined with additional input from both sides, with only a few remaining points of disagreement." He highlighted the "tremendous progress" achieved over the past week, referring to a proposal that previously drew criticism from Ukrainian officials and European allies.

Trump revealed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff would likely meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week, potentially accompanied by Jared Kushner. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who has been engaging with Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi, was instructed to communicate with Ukrainian officials. When questioned by reporters, Trump indicated he had not established a deadline for reaching an agreement.

"I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages," Trump emphasized in his statement.

The president's diplomatic initiative comes amid optimism from the White House, despite international skepticism about the prospects of a successful agreement, and contrary to earlier reports suggesting a deal was imminent.

However, there is little indication that progress between the US and Ukraine would overcome the fundamental challenge: conditions acceptable to Ukraine likely remain unacceptable to Russia, and vice versa.

Speaking aboard Air Force One later Tuesday, Trump addressed concerns that his plan overly favored Moscow by requiring Ukraine to surrender currently held territory.

"Eventually, that's land that, over the next couple of months, might be gotten by Russia anyway," Trump stated. "So do you want to fight and lose another 50, 60,000 people? Or do you want to do something now?"

He suggested Russia was making concessions: "They stop fighting and they don't take any more land."

These comments may increase anxiety in Kyiv and European capitals, where concerns persist that Trump and Witkoff have accommodated Putin's demands throughout negotiations. These worries could intensify given Trump's assertion that Europe would be "largely involved" with providing security guarantees.

The president's reluctance to personally mediate the talks may further complicate reaching a resolution. Ukrainian officials have indicated interest in meeting with Trump, who departed Washington Tuesday evening to spend Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Trump expressed his belief that Ukraine was "pretty happy" with the progress.

"People are starting to realize it's a good deal for both parties," he remarked.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier appeared to contradict suggestions that Kyiv had approved a potential agreement to end Russia's full-scale invasion.

"Communication with the American side continues," Zelenskyy stated in a post on X following a call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "I am grateful for all of America's efforts and personally for President Trump's efforts."

Speculation intensified about an imminent agreement after Trump's Monday social media post claiming "big progress" on a Ukraine deal. ABC News reported Tuesday that Ukraine had agreed to a potential peace deal with minor details remaining, citing a US official.

Any momentum toward a US-Ukraine agreement could still encounter resistance from Russia.

"It's very simple: Trump's objective remains a durable peace. Putin's objective remains political control of Ukraine," explained John Herbst, former US ambassador to Ukraine and Uzbekistan now with the Atlantic Council. "So we're never going to get there unless Putin is persuaded that he cannot achieve his objective."

US and Russian delegations have been meeting in Abu Dhabi following talks in Geneva that made progress in addressing strong opposition from Kyiv and European allies to a 28-point peace proposal initially presented by the White House team. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated he had nothing to report regarding the Abu Dhabi discussions, according to Interfax news service.

The initial draft plan surprised Kyiv and Ukrainian allies with demands that Ukraine abandon NATO membership aspirations and cede territory in eastern Donbas regions, including areas not yet under Russian control. Acknowledging the negative reaction, Trump described the original proposal as a "concept" or "map" to guide negotiations.

The document evolved from conversations between Witkoff and Russian officials. During a brief October 14 call, Witkoff advised Yuri Ushakov, Putin's top foreign policy aide, on approaching Trump about the matter.

Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, was also present in Abu Dhabi for meetings, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The peace blueprint was refined to 19 proposals during Sunday's Geneva discussions. However, territorial issues central to any settlement would require direct talks between the Ukrainian and US presidents, according to Ihor Brusylo, deputy chief of Zelenskyy's office.

Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, stated Tuesday that US and Ukrainian delegations "reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva." Ukraine anticipated organizing Zelenskyy's US visit as soon as possible this month, he posted on X.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and France's Emmanuel Macron held a call Tuesday with Zelenskyy and officials from Germany, Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, Estonia, and the European Union to discuss negotiations. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined the meeting, signaling his role as Trump's liaison between the US and Europeans regarding peace talks.

Starmer informed participants that Ukraine had proposed "constructive changes" to the framework and that Zelenskyy indicated "in large part the majority of the text looks as though" it "could be accepted."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow expected the US to present a revised plan following discussions with Europeans and Ukraine. He suggested that deviations from understandings reached during Trump's summit with Putin in Alaska would be difficult for the Kremlin to accept.

"If the spirit and letter of Anchorage are erased from those key understandings we recorded, then, of course, it will be a fundamentally different situation," Lavrov stated. "But so far, I repeat, no one has officially conveyed anything to us."

Overnight, Russia and Ukraine exchanged fire with heavy air raids on Kyiv and assaults on southern Russian areas.