US President Donald Trump has admitted that “something good” may happen in the settlement of Russia’s war against Ukraine. He wrote this in the Truth Social network following the talks between the US and Ukrainian delegations in Geneva on 23 November.
“Is it really possible that there can be much progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good can happen,” – wrote Trump.
On the eve of the US President spoke sharply about the Ukrainian authorities, saying that the Ukrainian leadership “has not shown any gratitude” for American initiatives to achieve peace. After that, President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that Ukraine is grateful to the United States and personally to President Donald Trump for assistance.
On 23 November, negotiations on the proposed US peace plan for Ukraine were held in Geneva. Following the talks, the USA and Ukraine released a joint statement, pointing to “significant progress” and that the framework peace agreement had been” updated and finalised” and the presidents would make the final decision on it.
Exactly what changes were made to the previously published 28-point peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration and criticised by supporters of Kiev as too friendly to Russia was not disclosed in the statement.
Along with Ukraine’s European allies, many US lawmakers, including some Republicans, criticised the original proposal, with some calling it a “wish list” for the Kremlin.
After the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the US delegation to the talks, noted “tremendous progress” and said Trump was “pleased” when he briefed him on the discussion.
The head of the Ukrainian delegation-Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak-said to reporters that negotiators had made “very good progress” in Geneva and were “moving forward towards a just and strong peace that the Ukrainian people deserve.”
Several Western news outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported that U.S. and Ukrainian officials are discussing a potential visit by Zelensky to Washington – as early as this week – to discuss issues with Trump.
Reuters quoted the source as saying the talks would focus on the most sensitive issues of Trump’s proposed 28-point peace plan – such as the possibility of Ukraine’s territorial concessions to Russia.
The original plan proposed by the US has not been officially disclosed, although key elements have been published in the media.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had not yet received any plans for a peace settlement in Ukraine through official channels and was “closely monitoring” media reports on the results of the US-Ukraine talks in Geneva. He also said there were no plans yet for a meeting this week between Russian and US negotiators.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would hold a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on 24 November to discuss peace efforts in Ukraine.