Zelensky ready to advance US-backed Ukraine plan as Trump softens on deadline
US president backs away from his initial November 27 peace plan deadline as he dispatches aides to see Putin and the Ukrainians
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he was ready to advance a US-backed framework for ending the war with Russia and discuss disputed points with US President Donald Trump in talks he said should include European allies.
US and Ukrainian officials have been trying to narrow their gaps over Trump’s plan to end Europe’s deadliest and most devastating conflict since World War II, with Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on Russian terms, including territorial concessions.
In a speech to what is known as the coalition of the willing allies, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Zelensky urged European leaders to hash out a framework for deploying a “reassurance force” to Ukraine and to keep backing it for as long as Russia showed no inclination to end its nearly four-year-old war.
“We firmly believe security decisions about Ukraine must include Ukraine, security decisions about Europe must include Europe,” Zelensky said, according to his speech text. “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.”
“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 said.