Trump, who was known for his volatile positions towards Ukraine, had previously said on his Truth Social platform that the Ukrainian leadership “did not express any gratitude for our efforts,” referring to his plan to end the conflict that has been going on for about 4 years, which included some of Moscow’s demands.
Hours later, Zelensky responded in a post on X, saying: “Ukraine is grateful to the United States, to every American heart, and to President Trump personally for the assistance that saved Ukrainian lives.”
New draft
On Sunday, American and Ukrainian envoys were working in Geneva to introduce amendments to Washington’s plan consisting of 28 items.
Kyiv spoke about a new draft that includes most of Kiev’s “basic priorities.”
“The current version of the document, although still in the final approval stages, already reflects most of Ukraine’s basic priorities,” said Rustam Umarov, head of Ukraine’s Security Council and Kiev’s negotiator in these talks.
The initial version of the American plan took into account some Russian demands, as it required Ukraine to cede territory occupied by Russia, reduce the size of its army, and pledge never to join NATO.
In return, it provides for security guarantees for Ukraine and the use of frozen Russian assets to rebuild the country.
Trump had given Kiev until November 27 to approve his plan, but he showed flexibility regarding this deadline.
Trump’s positions have swung significantly toward Ukraine since his return to the White House
Since the beginning of his second presidential term, Trump’s positions towards Ukraine have changed significantly. He pledged his ability to end the war in “24 hours” and considered that it would not have broken out if he had been president.
He also expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and met him in Alaska last summer in an attempt to reach an agreement on ending the war.
Trump described Zelensky as a “dictator” and, along with his deputy Jay DeVance, harshly criticized him in front of reporters during his reception at the White House earlier this year.
However, Trump returned and expressed his dissatisfaction with the Russian President for not agreeing to his proposals to stop the war, imposing major sanctions on Moscow, and hinted at the possibility of Ukraine regaining its lands.
