Trump increases pressure on Kyiv as US officials engage Ukrainian counterparts in Geneva

Donald Trump set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to accept a 28‑point plan that mirrored Kremlin demands and limited Ukraine’s military ambitions
President Donald Trump said on Saturday, November 22, that the US would try to get the Russia–Ukraine war ended as he sent top officials to Geneva to discuss his 28‑point peace plan (Getty Images)
President Donald Trump said on Saturday, November 22, that the US would try to get the Russia–Ukraine war ended as he sent top officials to Geneva to discuss his 28‑point peace plan (Getty Images)


WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has reportedly given Ukraine until Thursday to endorse his 28-point plan to end the war, a proposal that allegedly mirrors many of Moscow’s demands and would dramatically reshape Ukraine’s political and military future.

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in Geneva on Saturday, November 22, for meetings with senior Ukrainian officials to map out “next steps for peace."

On Saturday, speaking to reporters, Trump said, "We would like to get to peace, it should have happened a long time ago." 

He reiterated that Russia's war with Ukraine would have never happened had he been president. “We will try to get it ended one way or the other. We have to get it ended," he said. Trump also added that if Zelensky rejected the plan, "then he can continue to fight his little heart out."

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump and Zelensky are meeting today to negotiate a preliminary agreement on sharing Ukraine’s mineral resources that Trump says will allow America to recoup aid provided to Kyiv while supporting Ukraine’s economy. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28, 2025, in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

European allies caught off guard by Trump's plan

European governments were reportedly blindsided by the proposal.

The European Council said on Saturday that the plan needs “additional work,” raising concerns over limits on Ukraine’s military and claiming that any commitments involving the EU or NATO require approval from member states.

Diplomats across Europe are scrambling to coordinate a response to a plan drafted with reportedly minimal consultation from Kyiv or European partners.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 10: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks at the Detroit Economic Club on October 10, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. Michigan is considered a key battleground state in the upcoming presidential election, holding 15 electoral votes. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Donald Trump speaks at the Detroit Economic Club on October 10, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to “work calmly” with the US and partners toward ending the war, even as his government formally authorized a delegation of top security officials to join negotiations.

“Ukraine will never be an obstacle to peace,” Zelensky’s office stated, adding that officials will defend both national interests and European security.

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - AUGUST 15: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Alternate Crop) U.S. President Donald Trump (R) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. The two leaders are meeting for peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Moscow welcomes plan that reportedly mirrors early Kremlin demands

The plan reportedly requires Kyiv to cede territory, cap the size of its armed forces and abandon its long-standing ambition to join NATO in exchange for a cease-fire, international reconstruction funding and an oversight board led by the US president.

The proposal is widely viewed as a diplomatic win for the Kremlin. Analysts claim that the plan resembles Russia’s maximalist positions during the Istanbul talks in early 2022, when Russian forces controlled significantly more territory.

President Vladimir Putin told a security council briefing that he had reviewed the US plan and believed it "could form the basis of a final peace settlement."

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 23: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House May 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump signed executive orders related to the nuclear power industry. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, May 23, 2025, in Washington, DC (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

High-level delegations converge in Geneva for negotiations

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in Geneva on Saturday for meetings with senior Ukrainian officials.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff will also reportedly join the talks on Sunday, where negotiators will work on refining the proposal’s language ahead of a potential meeting between Zelensky and Trump.

A separate US-Russia meeting on the plan is also expected “quickly,” the official claimed, though details remain undisclosed.



National security advisers from Germany, France and the UK are also heading to Geneva, as Europe wants a seat at the table.

Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Rustem Umerov confirmed on X that Kyiv and Washington will discuss “possible parameters of a future peace agreement” in Switzerland.

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