Trump says Ukraine has expressed ‘zero gratitude’ for U.S. help amid peace plan talks
President Donald Trump introduced new tensions into high-stakes peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on Sunday, publicly accusing leaders in kyiv of showing “no gratitude” for U.S. support, even as U.S. officials in Geneva struggled to show a united front.
Trump’s comments on Truth Social come at a delicate time: His administration is pressuring Ukraine to accept a 28-point peace proposal by Thanksgiving, even as confusion over the plan’s authorship and concerns from European allies and U.S. lawmakers have raised questions about whose interests it serves.
Top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, met with Ukrainian officials in Geneva, Switzerland, this weekend to advance peace talks with the goal of ending the war.
On Sunday, after a full day of discussions, Rubio told reporters that “tremendous progress” had been made.
He added “there’s still work to do, but we’re a lot further along today at this point than we were when we started this morning and where we were a week ago, that’s for sure.”
“So it’s in my personal opinion that we’ve had probably the most productive and most meaningful meeting so far in this whole process since the beginning,” he said. “We have a really good work product that’s already been built based on input from all the parties involved here, and we’ve been able to look at some of that now, point by point. And I think we’ve made good progress.”
Another U.S. official told NBC News that Rubio, Witkoff and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with a Ukrainian delegation at the U.S. mission in Geneva. U.S. officials said the discussions were “positive and constructive.”
In a message posted later Sunday on Telegram, Zelenskyy thanked U.S. and European allies.
“Ukraine is grateful to the United States, to all American hearts and personally to President Trump for the help that, starting with the Javelins, saves the lives of Ukrainians. We thank everyone in Europe, in the Group of Seven and in the Group of Twenty, who are helping us protect lives,” he wrote.
Ukrainian and European leaders have expressed concerns about the peace proposal, while some European leaders and U.S. lawmakers close to Trump have also expressed concerns that it benefits Russia.
“While there are many good ideas in the proposed Russia-Ukraine peace plan, several areas are very problematic and can be improved. The goal of any peace agreement is to end the war honorably and justly – not to create a new conflict,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wrote in a message Saturday
Another top Trump ally in the Senate, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., also expressed concerns Friday. “There are real problems with this so-called ‘peace plan,’ and I am very skeptical about its ability to achieve peace,” he wrote in an article on X.
On Saturday, Trump told reporters that this particular proposal was “not my final offer.” He added that if Zelensky did not accept the peace proposal, “then he can continue to fight with his little heart.”
In a video after the proposal was published, Zelensky said: “Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the strongest. »
He added: “Ukraine could now face a very difficult choice: either lose its dignity, or risk losing a key partner, or have lost 28 points, or experience a very difficult winter. »
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, told Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing” that the 28 points provide a starting point for negotiations.
“This is just the first proposal, unrealizable, and in fact, it is a wish list. It is not a document or an agreement. It is just a list of points that have been discussed at the moment, and it is an agreed line with Ukraine and the United States that this will be a constructive reconciliation process,” she said.
On Saturday evening, several U.S. lawmakers questioned whether the peace proposal was drafted by the United States or Russia.
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said Saturday “none of the information released on this particular proposal has come back from the administration,” following his Saturday afternoon call with Rubio.
“We asked, ‘Is that, you know? Where did that come from?’ And he said, “This was a product that was presented to Mr. Witkoff, and that it was not our proposal, but that it was an opportunity, however, for the United States, as an intermediary, to bring it to the attention of the Ukrainians and, I believe, the Europeans as well,” Rounds added.
In a post on X Saturday evening, Rubio said the plan had been approved by U.S. officials.
“The peace proposal was drafted by the United States. It is presented as a solid framework for the ongoing negotiations,” he wrote. “This is based on the contribution of the Russian side. But it is also based on the previous and current contribution of Ukraine.”
