U.S. President Trump announced that a critical stage has been reached in the peace plan for ending the Ukraine war. Noting that a “few” issues remain to be resolved, he assigned special envoy Steve Witkoff to travel to Russia to negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Diplomatic Activity in Geneva

On Tuesday, U.S. and Ukrainian officials met in Geneva to discuss Trump’s initial peace plan. The first version of the plan reportedly called for Ukraine to cede territory to Moscow, limit its military, and abandon NATO aspirations. The proposal was later revised to address concerns raised by Ukraine and its European allies.

Zelensky Signals Readiness for Progress

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at a video conference with the coalition of 30 countries supporting Ukraine, said Kiev is ready to move forward with the yet-unreleased framework, though some sensitive issues still need to be addressed.
Ukrainian officials emphasized that they support the “core” of the plan and noted that the security guarantees appear “very robust.”

Trump Announces Progress

Speaking at the White House, Trump acknowledged that resolving the Ukraine war is not easy but added, “We are approaching a deal.” On Truth Social, he explained that Witkoff would go to Moscow to resolve the few remaining critical disagreements.

Trump also stated that he hopes to meet with both Putin and Zelensky soon, but only once a concrete agreement that ends the war is in place.

Russia Remains Unconvinced

Recent missile strikes on Kyiv suggest that Moscow is still not fully convinced about the deal.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that the revised plan should reflect the “spirit and letter” of the agreements reached earlier this year between Trump and Putin in Alaska. He warned that ignoring this could create a completely different situation for Russia.

Russian officials also noted dissatisfaction with the European version of the plan, which does not require Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Donbas, allows NATO membership, and imposes no limits on military size.

White House: Sensitive But Resolvable

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, after meetings with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, expressed optimism. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that several sensitive but resolvable details remain to be addressed between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S.