Trump Claims Zelenskyy Has Not Read Peace Plan

President Trump expressed frustration on Sunday over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s apparent delay in reviewing a new peace proposal aimed at ending the war with Russia, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.

“I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago,” Trump told reporters at the Kennedy Center. “His people love it, but he hasn’t.”

The president’s comments come amid intensified diplomatic activity involving U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have been engaged in talks with both Ukrainian and Russian officials. The diplomatic push represents one of the most significant American efforts to broker peace since the conflict began nearly four years ago.

Trump suggested Russia might prefer to control all of Ukraine but seemed willing to accept the current proposal. “Russia, I guess, would rather have the whole country when you think of it, but Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy is fine with it,” he said.

For his part, Zelenskyy confirmed he held a “long and substantive phone call” with Witkoff and Kushner on Saturday, discussing strategies to end Russia’s aggression and prevent future invasions. The Ukrainian leader indicated he was waiting for his negotiating team to brief him in person before responding to the proposal.

Rustem Umerov, who leads the Ukrainian delegation and serves as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, confirmed Monday that he and Ukraine’s military chief of general staff, General Andriy Hnatov, would brief Zelenskyy on recent developments. This includes details from Witkoff and Kushner’s five-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin—a session that underscores the high-stakes nature of these discussions.

Putin, who recently visited India for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, characterized the negotiations with American representatives as productive but nuanced. “Sometimes we said, yes, we can discuss this, but with that one we cannot agree,” Putin remarked in an interview with India Today.

Despite the diplomatic overtures, Putin has maintained maximalist demands, insisting the conflict will only end when Russia takes control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region or when Ukrainian forces withdraw from contested territories. This hardline stance complicates peace efforts, especially as Russia continues its military campaign.

The peace talks are unfolding against a backdrop of escalating violence. Zelenskyy reported that in the past week alone, Russia launched more than 1,600 drones, approximately 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 70 missiles of various types against Ukrainian targets. These attacks have increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure and energy facilities, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis as winter sets in.

The Ukrainian president is scheduled to meet with European leaders in London on Monday to discuss the U.S.-led peace plan. The timing is significant, coinciding with new Russian aerial bombardments that have further strained Ukraine’s civilian resilience.

The ongoing negotiations represent a critical juncture in the conflict, with the Trump administration attempting to leverage diplomatic channels to achieve what military aid and sanctions have thus far failed to accomplish. However, significant gaps remain between the warring parties’ positions, with territorial concessions likely forming the most contentious aspect of any potential agreement.

As diplomatic efforts continue in Miami, Moscow, and various European capitals, the central question remains whether a compromise can be reached that both preserves Ukraine’s sovereignty and addresses Russia’s security concerns—a challenge that has eluded negotiators since the conflict’s inception.