The White House says President Trump wants an end to the nearly four-year war as Kyiv resists U.S.-backed proposals requiring major territorial concessions.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump is “extremely frustrated” with both Russia and Ukraine over the lack of progress toward ending the nearly four-year war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday.
“He doesn’t want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end,” Leavitt said, as Kyiv confirmed that Washington continues pressing for territorial concessions as part of a proposed peace deal.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the U.S. plan, a 28-point framework sent to both Moscow and Kyiv last month, heavily favors Russia by allowing it to retain control over large areas of occupied land.
Under the proposal, Ukraine would withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region, which would become a demilitarized “free economic zone” acting as a buffer between the two sides. Russia, meanwhile, would retain territory in the south while pulling back forces from northern regions it has not claimed to annex.
Zelenskyy called the terms unacceptable, confirming Kyiv had submitted a 20-point counterproposal earlier this week. “We have two key points of disagreement: the territories of Donetsk and everything related to them, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” he said.
“They see Ukrainian forces leaving Donetsk, and the supposed compromise is that Russian forces do not enter that territory,” Zelenskyy added. “Whether through elections or a referendum, there must be a position from the people of Ukraine.”
Critics of the peace framework argue that pressuring Ukraine to cede land amounts to rewarding Vladimir Putin’s invasion and undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty. Zelenskyy also questioned why Russia was not being asked to withdraw an equivalent distance from the front lines, noting that “a great many questions” remain unresolved.
According to the plan, Russia would relinquish territory it holds in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk—areas not included in Moscow’s 2022 annexation claims—but maintain positions in parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Despite months of fighting, Ukraine still controls about one-fifth of Donetsk, though Russian forces have made recent advances. Moscow claimed Thursday to have captured Siversk, a town in Donetsk, though Ukraine’s military denied the report.
European leaders described the negotiations as a “pivotal moment” for Ukraine and regional security. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that any settlement “must not contain the seeds of future conflict.”
Trump has reportedly taken a direct role in the talks, preferring one-on-one diplomacy through his envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner, while sidelining European intermediaries. According to Zelenskyy, Washington hopes to finalize the “contours” of a deal by Christmas.
Meanwhile, a double bomb blast in Kyiv on Thursday killed one serviceman and injured four others in what prosecutors called a suspected terror attack, underscoring the ongoing volatility even as peace discussions continue.
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