Zelenskyy says Kyiv ready to move forward with peace plan and is prepared to discuss its ‘sensitive points’ with Trump and allies
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Kyiv was ready to move forward with a US-backed peace deal, and that he was prepared to discuss its sensitive points with US president Donald Trump in talks he said should include European allies.
In a speech to the ‘coalition of the willing’, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Zelenskyy urged European leaders to hash out a framework for deploying a “reassurance force” to Ukraine and to continue supporting Kyiv for as long as Moscow shows no willingness to end its war.
Key events
Axios reports that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed a desire to meet US president Donald Trump “as soon as possible” – possibly over Thanksgiving – to finalise a joint US-Ukrainian agreement on the terms for ending the war. It cites the infomation as coming from Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak.
Yermak told Axios in an interview over Zoom on Tuesday morning:
I hope the visit of President Zelensky will take place as soon as possible, because … it will be help President Trump to continue his historical mission to end this war.
It is believed that Trump will leave Washington on Tuesday evening and will stay at Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving.
Shaun Walker
Earlier this week, Shaun Walker spoke to former Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who expressed frustration that European countries have not been more proactive in the Ukraine peace talks.
Landsbergis said:
It feels like the only plan that we had for engaging with the United States is to remain within Trump’s good graces, rather than to have our own plan that we would try to sell to Trump and that we would be able to back with our own resources, own political will and ability to act upon it.
Of the European “counter-plan”, which was announced soon after a US 28-point plan that seemed skewed heavily towards Russia’s demands, was made public, Landsbergis said:
I think Trump can really understand that we were not serious … So that’s why there is no respect. That’s why secretary Rubio said what he said about the European proposal for the peace plan. He said basically, ‘I have not read it’. Imagine what a slap in the face it is for Europe. We are preparing a plan, and the people discussing our continent’s future have not even read it.
He also said he believes the Trump administration has made a strategic decision to disengage from Europe, and focus on the Indo-Pacific, making attempts by European leaders to “court” the US president with gifts or flattery largely futile:
They basically just want to disengage. And no amount of kilograms of gold is going to change that strategy. You might get some nicer words, some good pictures, something to bring back home where you say, ‘Look, we’re in a better position.’ We’re not. This is self-deception.
The ‘coalition of the willing’ call on Tuesday, which also heard from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was attended by US secretary of state Marco Rubio, in a rare example of American involvement in the coalition’s discussions, reports the PA news agency.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte also participated in the virtual meeting, said Nato’s press office.
Ukraine has not yet fully agreed to a peace proposal from the US, Downing Street suggested, amid suggestions from the US that Kyiv had done so (see 1.34pm GMT).
The UK prime minister’s official spokesperson told the PA news agency:
I’ve seen those reports, but our position hasn’t changed.
We welcome the progress made, but there are still several points to work through. We are all resolute in our focus on securing Ukraine a just and lasting peace.
The spokesperson also pointed to Starmer’s statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, in which he said there is still a “tough road ahead” to reach peace.
Speaking from Paris, Emmanuel Macron told Tuesday’s ‘coalition of the willing’ call that efforts to draw the Russia-Ukraine conflict to an end are now at a “crucial juncture”.
The French president added:
Negotiations are getting a new impetus, and we should seize this momentum not because there is reason for alarm – Ukraine is solid, Russia is slow, and Europe is steadfast – but because there is finally a chance to make real progress toward a good peace.
Ukraine needs “a set of very robust security guarantees, and not paper guarantees” he also said, as previous promises were “shattered by successive Russian aggressions”.
Keir Starmer urged leaders of the ‘coalition of the willing’ to “firm up” their commitments to a potential peacekeeping operation in Ukraine.
The UK prime minister told a virtual meeting of the coalition that the “multinational force Ukraine” would play “a vital part” in guaranteeing the country’s security. He said:
I urge colleagues on the call this afternoon to firm up their national commitments, because we need to ensure we have got the most robust capability, the most robust plans, on the table. And we will also pick up next steps with the US military on their own planning.
And we must come back to this with a strong political guarantee to show Russia we’re serious about responding to any violation.
Adding that the UK would send more air defence missiles to Ukraine in the coming weeks, Starme also called for a “full embargo of Russian energy” to keep up the pressure on Moscow, saying recent measures had already had an impact.
Ukraine talks ‘moving in positive direction’ in allied meeting, UK PM says
Keir Starmer has said talks on a potential ceasefire in Ukraine were “moving in a positive direction” as he spoke to leaders of Ukraine’s allies on Tuesday.
The UK prime minister led a call with leaders of the ‘coalition of the willing’ this afternoon after talks between Ukraine and the US in Geneva over the weekend appeared to bear fruit for a path to peace.
Addressing a virtual meeting of the coalition from the cabinet room in 10 Downing Street, Starner said of the latest talks:
Progress was made and I welcome some of the developments that have now come forward.
It was a chance to ensure that the draft plan fully reflects Ukraine’s interests and lays the ground for a lasting peace.
He added that Ukraine had “proposed some constructive changes”, supported by European national security advisers.
According to the PA news agency, the prime minister said:
I do think we are moving in a positive direction and indications today that in large part most of the text, Volodymyr [Zelenskyy] is indicating, can be accepted.
US army secretary’s talks with Russia on Ukraine ‘going well’, says spokesman
Talks between US army secretary Dan Driscoll and Russia delegates on a US plan to end the conflict with Ukraine are “going well,” his spokesperson said on Tuesday, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Lt Col Jeff Tolbert, Driscoll’s spokesperson, gave this update:
Late Monday and throughout Tuesday, secretary Driscoll and team have been in discussions with the Russian delegation to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine.
The talks are going well and we remain optimistic.
‘Tremendous progress’ made says White House, but adds that delicate details on Ukraine peace plan require more talks
The United States has made “tremendous progress” toward a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia, but some sensitive details will require additional talks, the White House said on Tuesday.
“There are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in an X post.
