Trump walks back Ukraine deadline, says 28-point peace plan was 'just a map'
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Nov. 25 that Ukraine faces no set deadline to accept the originally drafted 28-point proposal, walking back earlier remarks hinting he wanted a deal by Thanksgiving.
"The deadline for me is when it’s over," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. He added that U.S. negotiators were making progress in talks with both Moscow and Kyiv, adding that Russia had agreed to "some concessions," although he didn't provide any details.
A U.S.-drafted framework for ending the war developed behind closed doors by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in coordination with Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, first reported last week, has raised concerns that Washington may pressure Ukraine into signing a deal favorable to the Kremlin.
The Financial Times previously reported that the 28-point plan had been cut down to 19 points during talks among U.S., Ukrainian, and European delegations in Geneva.
When asked about criticism of the 28-point proposal, Trump said "that was just a map."
"That was not a plan. It was a concept. And from there, they’re taking each one of the 28 points, and then you get down to 22 points. A lot of them were solved, and actually very favorably solved. So we’ll see what happens."
Trump added that his envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Moscow next week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In recent days, Trump had said he wanted Ukraine to agree to a peace deal by Thanksgiving. However, he and his aides have since walked back the firm deadline, saying instead they want an agreement "as soon as possible."
Bloomberg reported that during an Oct. 14 phone call with Putin’s top aide Yuri Ushakov, Witkoff suggested working together on a ceasefire plan and arranging a Trump-Putin call before President Volodymyr Zelensky’s White House visit later that week, referencing the recently concluded Gaza agreement as a potential model.
Asked about the report, Trump said he hadn’t heard the recording but wasn’t surprised. "That’s what a dealmaker does," he said. "You know, that’s a very standard form of negotiation. I would imagine he’s saying the same thing to Ukraine."
Trump added that Russia appeared to have the upper hand in the fighting and said it was in Ukraine’s interest to strike an agreement. "Some Ukraine territory might be gotten by Russia anyway over the next couple of months," he said, adding that security guarantees for Ukraine were being worked out with Europe.
Describing current talks, he said: "Well, they’re talking about going land both ways and trying to clean up a border. You can’t go through the middle of a house. You can’t go through the middle of a highway. So they’re trying to work something. It’s a complicated process. It doesn’t go that quickly."
