DONALD Trump has declared that Vladimir Putin is “making concessions” and Volodymyr Zelensky is “happy” with progress towards a peace deal.
It comes as the US president scrapped his own Thanksgiving deadline and dispatched top envoys on a high-stakes dash to Moscow and Kyiv.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said “we’re making progress” and insisted Moscow had agreed to halt its advance – “and they don’t take any more land”.
Don revealed Ukraine was pleased with how talks were moving and made clear his clock was no longer ticking.
He added: “The deadline for me is when it’s over. And I think everybody’s tired of fighting at this moment.”
Trump also downplayed the uproar over his original 28-point draft – dubbed by Kyiv and Europe “the Kremlin’s wish list”.
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“That was just a map… That was not a plan. It was a concept,” he explained.
Still, he hinted that Russia holds the battlefield edge, suggesting that “some Ukraine territory might be gotten by Russia anyway over the next couple of months.”
He also described negotiations over borders as a messy but necessary grind, adding: “You can’t go through the middle of a house… It’s a complicated process.”
Week of intense diplomacy that could finally end war
by Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter
A FRANTIC, fast-moving push for peace has unfolded over just a few days, with leaks, late-night talks and duelling diplomatic missions.
Here’s how the week built to this critical moment:
A leaked call sets off alarm
A transcript published by Bloomberg showed Trump envoy Steve Witkoff coaching Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov on how Putin should speak to President Trump about a ceasefire plan. The leak raised concerns in Washington, Kyiv and European capitals.
European leaders weigh in
European governments pushed back against any settlement that rewards Moscow. Ursula von der Leyen warned that undermining borders “opens the doors for more wars tomorrow.” Macron said talks were at a “crucial juncture.”
Peace plan rewritten under pressure
The original 28-point U.S. proposal, criticised as too close to Russian demands, was cut to 19 points during tense talks in Geneva. U.S. and Ukrainian officials said they had reached a “common understanding,” though key issues remain unresolved.
US–Russia–Ukraine talks intensify
Behind closed doors, negotiators from the three sides have held near-daily calls and meetings. U.S. officials said Ukraine has agreed to the broad terms of the revised plan, while warning “delicate” points still need further discussion.
Envoys deployed to Moscow and Kyiv
The Kremlin confirmed Witkoff will travel to Moscow next week to meet Putin, joined by other senior Trump officials. Trump also ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to Kyiv for talks with Volodymyr Zelensky’s team.
Trump drops his Thanksgiving deadline
Trump abandoned his earlier push for a deal by Thanksgiving, saying “the deadline for me is when it’s over.” He insisted Russia was “making concessions” and that Ukraine was “happy” with progress.
Don’s envoys in action
Trump is now throwing his full weight behind a rapid diplomatic sprint.
His fixer-in-chief Steve Witkoff, who’s already a regular middleman with Putin, heads to Moscow next week, with the Kremlin confirming he will meet the Russian despot.
Multiple senior Trump aides are also set to join him.
At the same time, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is being sent to Ukraine for crunch talks with Volodymyr Zelensky’s team.
Trump said he, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials will be briefed on every step.
In his latest Truth Social post, Don said he hopes to meet with Zelensky and Putin “only when the deal to end this War is final or, in its final stages.”
US officials said Kyiv has agreed to the broad contours of the revised plan, now cut down to 19 points after a bruising round of talks in Geneva.
Ukraine’s national security adviser Rustem Umerov said Washington and Kyiv had reached a “common understanding on the core terms,” even as “delicate” issues remain for Trump and Zelensky to settle.
Behind the scenes, the diplomacy is raw and fraught.
A leaked transcript published by Bloomberg showed Witkoff coaching Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov on how Putin should pitch Trump — advice the White House brushed off as “standard negotiation.”
Rep. Don Bacon blasted Witkoff, saying he “cannot be trusted,” while Ushakov warned leaks were aimed at damaging US-Russia ties.
Trump has not denied the tactics. “He’s got to sell this to Ukraine. He’s got to sell Ukraine to Russia… That’s what a dealmaker does,” he said.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to batter Ukraine even as it talks peace.
Overnight, Moscow launched a mass drone strike on Zaporizhzhia, injuring at least seven and torching residential blocks.
Russia must pay a price for this war
By Jerome Starkey, Defence Editor
DONALD Trump is not a details man. He wants a deal at any price (as long as he is not paying for it) to end the war in Ukraine.
He doesn’t seem to care if it hobbles Ukraine, humiliates Europe and rewards Russian aggression.
He doesn’t seem to care if it is drafted by Russia, tramples on Nato and encourages tyrants everywhere to take neighbouring land by force. (Taiwan beware).
Those are details. Minor details. Unless, of course, you are Europe or Ukraine. In which case they are fundamental.
Any sane person who understand war wants a ceasefire yesterday.
But how this war end matters. Both for Ukraine’s survival and to avoid future war in Europe.
Russia must be deterred. It must pay a price for this war and know the bill for the next would be higher.
We should take it with a pinch of salt when US officials say the deal is done, save for some “minor details”.
These minor details are “major issues” in the words of Finland’s President Alex Stubb. President Zelensky said yesterday there is still “much work” to do.
In fact, these minor details are 44,000 square miles – some 20 per cent of Ukraine’s territory – an area the size of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined.
They are questions like who controls Crimea, the Donbas and occupied Zaporizhzia and Kherson.
They are questions like who guarantees Ukraine’s security against a third Russian invasion.
Ukraine wants peace more than anyone. But not peace at any price. It wants a peace that lasts. Russia wants a conquest.
Kyiv officials say Russia has stepped up attacks nationwide, with Zelensky reporting 22 missiles and 440 drones launched in a single night.
Meanwhile, Ukraine torched one of Russia’s most secretive weapons in an overnight strike that ripped through one of the Kremlin’s main aviation hubs.
Footage shows the rare A-60 laser aircraft engulfed in fireballs at the Taganrog aviation complex in Rostov after explosions pounded the site.
European leaders, wary of any settlement that rewards Moscow, are watching closely.
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Ursula von der Leyen praised U.S. efforts but warned that legitimizing border changes “opens the doors for more wars tomorrow.”
Emmanuel Macron said negotiations are at a “crucial juncture” and must avoid any outcome that becomes a “capitulation of Ukraine.”