Trump ‘Frustrated’ With Kyiv, Moscow Over Stalled War Talks

AFP/APP

KYIV, Ukraine: US President Donald Trump is “extremely frustrated” with both Russia and Ukraine, his spokeswoman said Thursday, as Kyiv revealed that Washington is still urging it to consider significant territorial concessions in a proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war.

“The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “He doesn’t want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated earlier that Washington’s core position remains largely unchanged since it submitted a 28-point peace plan to Kyiv and Moscow last month—a plan Kyiv has criticised for heavily favouring Russia.

Zelensky said Washington continues to pressure Ukraine to cede territory to Russia as part of a settlement to end the conflict that began with Moscow’s invasion in February 2022.

According to Zelensky, the US proposal calls for only Ukrainian, not Russian, forces to withdraw from parts of the eastern Donetsk region, where a demilitarised “free economic zone” would serve as a buffer between the two armies.

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Under the latest US plan, Russia would retain its positions in Ukraine’s south but withdraw troops from northern regions not claimed by President Vladimir Putin under annexation decrees.

Ukraine has submitted a revised 20-point counter-proposal to Washington this week, though officials have not released its full details.

“We have two key points of disagreement: the territories of Donetsk and everything related to them, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the south,” Zelensky said during a briefing with reporters, including AFP. “These are the two topics we continue to discuss.”

He added that the US plan envisions Ukrainian forces leaving parts of Donetsk, while Russian forces would refrain from entering the same areas—territory the US describes as a future “free economic zone.”

Zelensky reiterated that he has no “constitutional” or “moral” right to surrender Ukrainian land and insisted that any final decision must rest with Ukrainian citizens.

“Whether through elections or a referendum, there must be a position from the people of Ukraine,” he said.