President Trump said on Tuesday that he will only meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin when the parties get closer to an agreement on ending the war.
Why it matters: Trump initially set Thanksgiving as the deadline for getting Ukraine to sign on to his peace plan, but as the negotiations caught steam, he seems open to allowing more time for talks.
- Trump told reporters Tuesday evening aboard Air Force One en route to Florida that he doesn't have a firm deadline for reaching a deal.
Driving the news: "Over the past week, my team has made tremendous progress with respect to ending the War between Russia and Ukraine. The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
- Next, White House Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Putin in Moscow. Trump told reporters on Air Force One the meeting will take place next week.
- Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll — who held talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday — will hold another meeting with the Ukrainians.
- "I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages," Trump wrote.
State of play: After successful negotiations with the U.S. in Geneva on Sunday, Zelensky pushed to get a meeting with Trump in Mar-a-Lago this week, possibly during Thanksgiving.
- But the White House was hesitant to extend the invitation before it sees the Russian reaction to an amended 19-point peace plan.
What they're saying: Zelensky's chief of staff Andryi Yermak wrote on X that he spoke to Driscoll on Tuesday and said the Army Secretary will be in Kyiv again later this week.
- "We are ready to continue working as swiftly as possible to finalize the steps necessary to end the bloodshed," Yermak wrote.
- "We have a solid foundation laid in Geneva, and President Zelensky, along with the entire team in Kyiv, are fully committed to further cooperation. The meeting of the Presidents will be thoroughly and promptly prepared on our side."
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.
