Washington [US], November 23: US President Donald Trump has made a statement about his reaction if Ukraine rejects a US-proposed peace plan, as officials from both sides are set to meet to discuss the plan.
CNN on November 23 quoted US President Donald Trump as saying that the peace plan given to Ukraine was not the final offer for the country to end the war with Russia.
"No, it's not my last offer. We want peace. It's been a long time coming," he told reporters.
"The war between Ukraine and Russia should never have happened. If I were president, it would never have happened. We're trying to end it. One way or another, we have to end it," Mr. Trump added.
Asked what would happen if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not accept the US peace plan by the November 27 deadline, Mr. Trump said that "then he can continue to fight like hell."
The statement was made as Mr. Trump was meeting former professional golfer Jack Nicklaus at the golf course at Andrews Air Force Base (Maryland).
According to The Kyiv Independent, quoting Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, high-ranking delegations from the US and Ukraine will meet in Switzerland "in the next few days" to discuss the US peace proposal.
Ukraine's other international partners besides the United States, as well as a Russian delegation, will participate in the negotiations, according to a decree of the Ukrainian president published on November 22.
President Zelensky later confirmed that representatives from Britain, France and Germany would take part in the talks.
The decree said nine Ukrainian officials, including Andriy Yermak, chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, and Kyrylo Budanov, head of the country's military intelligence agency, would attend the meeting.
According to information, the Ukrainian delegation arrived in Geneva on November 22. The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, according to CNN citing an anonymous US official.
Bild magazine quoted insiders as saying that European leaders are expected to meet their US counterparts as early as November 23. French President Emmanuel Macron also announced that the alliance supporting Ukraine will meet online on November 25 to discuss the peace plan.
Source: Thanh Nieu Newspaper
