US President Donald Trump said in a radio interview that he thought Thursday was a good deadline for Ukraine to accept the US-backed proposal to end the war with Russia, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
“I have set a lot of deadlines, but when things go well, deadlines can be extended. "But we think Thursday is a good time," the US president said on Brian Kilmeade's Fox News radio show.
The United States is threatening to cut off intelligence and weapons to Ukraine in an effort to pressure it to accept a framework agreement to end the war with Russia, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the talks.
Washington has presented Ukraine with a 28-point plan that sets out some of Russia's main demands, including that Kiev make territorial concessions, limit the size of its army and give up the prospect of joining NATO.
Two officials said Washington had put Kiev under more pressure this time than in previous peace talks and that the US wanted Ukraine to sign the framework agreement for a ceasefire by next Thursday.
A delegation from Senior US officials met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Wednesday. The US ambassador to Ukraine and the US military press secretary, who accompanied the delegation, described the meeting as a success. They added that Washington was trying to impose an "aggressive timetable" within which the US and Ukraine could sign the document.
Zelensky, who spoke by phone today with the leaders of Britain, Germany and France, appeared cautious, fearing that he would reject the US plan and offend Americans. "We appreciate the efforts of the US, President Trump and his team to end this war. We are working on the document prepared by the US side. "This must be a plan that guarantees a real and dignified peace," Zelensky said.
EUROPE SAYS IT HAS A TWO-POINT PLAN
European leaders who were not involved in consultations on the 28-point plan have expressed strong support for Kiev.
Europe's own plan consists of two points, said the head of the European Union's foreign policy, Kaia Kallas - weakening Russia and supporting Ukraine.
US officials said Washington's plan was agreed with the secretary of Ukraine's Security and Defense Council - Rustem Umerov, who is a close ally of Zelensky and was defense minister until July. "This plan was drawn up immediately after discussions with one of the most senior members of President Zelensky's administration - "Rustem Umerov, who agreed to most of the plan after making a few changes, and presented it to President Zelensky," a US official told Reuters yesterday.
However, Umerov said today that he had neither discussed the terms of the plan nor approved them.
"My role during my visit to the US was technical - organizing meetings and preparing the dialogue. I did not give any assessments, let alone any approvals of any points. This is not within my powers and does not comply with the procedure," Umerov wrote on "Telegram".
After meeting with the US delegation in Kiev today, Umerov said that Ukraine would not accept a plan that violates its sovereignty.
The Kremlin, for its part, pointed out that Moscow and Washington had not held formal consultations or negotiations on a peace plan for Ukraine. Kiev must make a "responsible decision" and now, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
RUSSIAN DEMANDS ARE CLEARLY FORMULATED, KIEV'S ARE UNCLARIFIED
Reuters has obtained a copy of the plan, which includes terms that Ukrainian authorities have previously rejected as tantamount to surrender.
The plan requires Ukraine to give up areas controlled by Kiev in the Moscow-occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In exchange, Russia will cede smaller territories it has seized in other regions.
Ukraine will have to permanently abandon its bid to join NATO, and its army will be limited to 600,000 troops. In addition, NATO would have to agree never to station troops on Ukrainian territory.
It is envisaged that sanctions against Russia will be gradually lifted, Moscow will be invited back to the Group of Eight leading industrial powers (G-8), and frozen Russian assets will be pooled into an investment fund from which Washington will receive some profits.
One of the main Ukrainian demands is security guarantees equivalent to NATO's mutual defense clause to deter another Russian attack. This demand is addressed in a single line, without providing details: "Ukraine will receive reliable security guarantees".
Trump, who took office for a second term this year, has vowed to quickly end the war in Ukraine and accepted some of Moscow's arguments for the start of a Russian invasion in 2022. However, the American leader has also expressed some impatience with Russia.
Last month, he canceled a proposed summit with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and imposed sanctions on Russia's two leading oil companies. The restrictions are set to take effect today, when a deadline set by Washington for countries that buy Russian oil to halt their orders expires.
However, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt told a news conference that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff had been quietly working on the plan for about a month.
"This plan was designed to reflect the reality of the situation after five years of devastating war, to find the best scenario for everyone to win," Levitt said.
The United States has stepped up its diplomatic efforts at a time when Ukrainian forces are retreating on the battlefield and Zelensky's government is rocked by a corruption scandal.
The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) on Wednesday dismissed two ministers.
Almost four years Since the start of the war, Russian forces have occupied nearly a fifth of Ukraine and are slowly advancing along a 1,200-kilometer front line.
Russia says it has captured the city of Kupyansk in northeastern Ukraine and most of the eastern city of Pokrovsk. These are the first major gains for the Russian military in nearly two years. Kiev denies claims it has lost the two cities but acknowledges Russia is making progress.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Tuesday for a peaceful solution for Ukraine to preserve its territorial integrity, AFP reported.
Guterres made his appeal at a press conference in Johannesburg, a day before the start of the G20 summit there.
When asked about the US plan for peace in Ukraine, Guterres said that the plan had not yet been officially presented by Washington or anyone else.
Such a plan must comply with the UN Charter and international law, Guterres said.
The US security guarantees provided in the 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine are good. This was stated by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, ANSA reported.
The mention in the plan of solid security guarantees, integrated into a broader framework for European and transatlantic stability, in line with what Italy has always proposed, was welcomed by Meloni during the conversation with Merz, the Italian Prime Minister's office said.
Other elements of the plan need to be examined in more detail, the statement from Meloni's office added.
During the conversation, Meloni and Merz stressed the need to support the US-proposed peace plan for Ukraine, Reuters adds.
They also expressed support for the current efforts to hold negotiations and stressed that the final goal must be a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which is in the interest of Europe as a whole.