Geneva [Switzerland] / Washington [US], November 27: President Donald Trump hasannounced two simultaneous meetings of US representatives with Russia and Ukraine to negotiate the final contentious points of Washington's plan to end the war in Ukraine.
"[T]here are only a few remaining points of disagreement," the Republican wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"In the hopes of finalizing this Peace Plan, I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians," Trump posted, without specifying a time for the discussions.
It was not clear from Trump's post whom Driscoll would meet. Trump himself will be kept informed of the progress, as will US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trump further wrote.
The US president wrote that he looks forward to hopefully meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin soon, "but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages." Whether Trump intends to meet with them individually or as a trio was not clear from his statements. Following the disclosure of a preliminary US plan, which many criticized as a Russian "wish list," there have been renegotiations and adjustments in recent days. The Europeans have also been involved.
"Our delegations reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva," said Rustem Umerov, a former defence minister who is now secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council and a member of his country's negotiating team.
"We now count on the support of our European partners in our further steps," he wrote on Facebook. "We look forward to organizing a visit of Ukraine's President to the US at the earliest suitable date in November to complete final steps and make a deal with President Trump."
According to statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, Kiev's allies want to support the US peace plan with military security guarantees for Ukraine. In the event of a ceasefire, a "security force" would have to be deployed in Ukraine, Macron said in an interview with broadcaster RTL.
Source: Qatar Tribune
