Russia says it supports a “essence” of a US strategy to end its conflict with Russia, as Donald Trump claimed that progress was being made toward reaching a deal and that he would send his special representative to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin.
After US and Ukrainian negotiators met in Geneva two days earlier to discuss Trump’s initial peace plan, which had been perceived by Ukrainians as a Russian wish list for Kyiv to cede territory to Moscow, impose its military, and renounce its commitment to NATO, diplomatic activity erupted on Tuesday.
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The proposed proposal, which appears to address concerns of Ukraine and its allies in Europe, has since been modified.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed “sensitive points” at a video conference of the so-called coalition of the willing, a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine.
A Ukrainian official earlier claimed Kyiv was “the framework’s essence” and that the official was backing it. Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, who led the Geneva negotiations, added that the security guarantees Ukraine was seeking appeared “very solid” in response to that feeling of momentum.
Trump acknowledged at the White House that the Ukraine war was “not easy,” but he added that “we’re close to reaching a deal.”
He said, “I expected that to be a simpler [deal], but I believe we are progressing.”
Later, he stated on his Truth Social platform that he would send envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to resolve “a few” remaining issues with the agreement.
He stated that he would like to meet with Putin and Zelenskyy “soon,” but only when the deal to end the conflict is done, or at least in its final stages.
Russia appeared unconvinced of progress after firing a deadly barrage of missiles at Kiev’s capital the previous night.
The modified plan, which is still unpublished, should reflect the “spirit and letter” of an agreement reached between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at their Alaska summit earlier this year, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Lavrov warned that “if the spirit and letter of Anchorage are lost in comparison to the fundamental agreements we have established, then the situation [for Russia] will fundamentally change.”
According to Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova, who is a journalist from Moscow, there was a lot of “uncertainty” at the Kremlin despite alleged “behind-the-scenes interactions” between US counterpart Steve Witkoff and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who reportedly worked on Trump’s plan’s initial stage.
She claimed that the revisions to the peace plan did not make the Russian side happy.
The so-called European version, according to Shapovalova, allows Kyiv to join NATO and doesn’t restrict the size of its armed forces, in contrast to the 28-point initial American plan presented by Donald Trump, which included 28 points.
However, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll had earlier expressed his satisfaction at a meeting with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, the country’s capital, by stating that “the discussions are going well and we are still optimistic.”
There are “a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that need to be resolved,” according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who spoke to X on X.
According to Kimberly Halkett, a reporter for Al Jazeera from Washington, DC, “it’s unclear when those discussions will take place, who will be involved, and what they will look like.” Given the upcoming November 27th American Thanksgiving holiday, she continued, it was obvious that they would not be coming soon.
Macron urges “pressure” on Putin.
Leaders of the coalition of the willing, who have pledged to guarantee any ceasefire, quickly adopted security guarantees and a reconstruction plan for Ukraine as the US struggled to close the stalemate between Ukraine and Russia.
The leaders of the US and coalition nations convened a task force to “solidify” security guarantees at the video meeting co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Zelenskyy and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in attendance.
Trump hasn’t stated whether he will provide support for Ukraine’s post-ceasefire “reassurance force.” Although the force’s formation would rely on US military muscle, the plan would involve European allies who would train Ukrainian troops and provide sea and air support.
Macron claimed in a statement following the video call that, contrary to what had been stated in the US plan’s initial draft, discussions in Geneva had established that there should be no limitations on the Ukrainian army.
A political and legal impasse in a Europe seeking funding for Ukraine’s reconstruction, according to him, will be “finalized in the coming days” with the European Commission.
There isn’t a consensus on how to proceed despite the fact that Western nations froze about $300 billion in Russian assets in 2022, primarily in Belgium. Some people support the asset’s seizing, but others, like Belgium, remain cautious due to legal concerns.
According to reports, Trump’s strategy would divide the assets between US-Russian investments and reconstruction.
Macron criticised Russia, arguing that Moscow should be subject to “continued pressure.” He made reference to Russia’s overnight attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, which resulted in seven fatalities and damaged the heating and power systems, saying “on the ground, the reality is quite the opposite of a willingness for peace.”






