Trump says ‘close’ to Ukraine war deal, but Europeans cautious

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a Ukraine-Russia deal is “very close,” but European leaders were skeptical as Russian missiles continued to rain down on Kyiv.

Trump, visibly frustrated at his failure to make good on last year’s election boast that he could quickly end the war, said at a White House event, “We’re getting very close to a deal.”

He said he had instructed special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in the hope of finalizing a peace plan to stop the war.

“There are only a few remaining points of disagreement,” he said in a post on Truth Social, adding that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll would be meeting the Ukrainian side.

An initial US plan, which was heavily weighted in Russia’s favor, has been replaced with one taking in more of Ukraine’s interests. An official familiar with the new version told AFP that it was “significantly better.”

However, US officials acknowledged that “delicate” issues remain.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron threw cold water on the idea of a rapid solution, stating that there is “clearly no Russian willingness” for a ceasefire or to discuss the new, more Ukraine-friendly proposal.

Frantic discussions have been underway since the weekend, when Ukrainian and US representatives huddled in Geneva to discuss Trump’s controversial, initial 28-point plan for settling the bloody conflict.

The latest talks, including US and Russian delegates, were taking place in Abu Dhabi, US media reported. Leaders of a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine also met by video on Tuesday.

US negotiator Dan Driscoll emerged upbeat from meeting with Russian counterparts, his spokesman saying: “The talks are going well, and we remain optimistic.”

The White House cited “tremendous progress,” while cautioning that “there are a few delicate but not insurmountable details that must be sorted out.”

A Ukrainian diplomat said that territorial concessions remained a major sticking point, meaning a final deal was far from certain despite accords on various specific points. “These are really tough questions for us,” the diplomat said.

In a speech to what are known as the coalition of the willing allies, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged European leaders to hash out a framework for deploying a “reassurance force” to Ukraine and to keep backing Kyiv for as long as Moscow shows no inclination to end its war.

“We firmly believe security decisions about Ukraine must include Ukraine, security decisions about Europe must include Europe … Because when something is decided behind the back of a country or its people, there is always a high risk it simply won’t work,” Zelensky said, according to his speech text.

“That framework is on the table, and we’re ready to move forward together – with the USA, with the personal engagement of President Trump,” he added.

Meanwhile, the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, continued unabated.

Powerful explosions rocked Kyiv beginning around 1 a.m. (2300 GMT), as Russian drones and missiles rained down, setting fires in apartment buildings. City officials said seven people were killed.

Thick smoke, turning red and orange in the blizzard of Ukrainian air defense fire, rose over the capital as residents fled underground into metro stations, AFP reporters said.

‘Tough road ahead’

Trump, who long boasted he could negotiate an end to the Ukraine war within 24 hours, announced last week that he wanted his peace proposal approved by Kyiv by this Thursday — the US Thanksgiving holiday.

But the initial plan, pushing numerous Russian war aims, sparked alarm in Ukraine and Europe. Among its points were prohibitions on Ukraine ever joining NATO and requiring the country to surrender swaths of new territory to Russia.

The updated plan clearly pleases Ukraine more. The official familiar with the text told AFP that one key improvement was raising a proposed cap on the country’s future military forces from 600,000 to 800,000 members.

Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said Tuesday there was “common understanding on the core” of the deal between Ukraine and the US.

However, remaining details should be hammered out in direct talks “at the earliest suitable date” between Zelensky and Trump, he said.

Zelensky could visit the US in the next few days to finalize a deal with Trump, Umerov said earlier on Tuesday, though there was no immediate confirmation of such a trip from the US side.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned: “There’s still a long way to go and a tough road ahead.”

Russia’s military occupies around a fifth of Ukraine, much of it ravaged by fighting. Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed and millions have fled the eastern part of the country.

Ukrainian army Sergeant Ivan Zadontsev said negotiating was “healthy.”

“We also are getting tired of war. We need a break,” he told AFP.

But the proposals by both the United States and the EU “do not serve Ukraine’s national interests,” he said.