US President Donald Trump has softened his stance on a deadline for Ukraine to agree to a US-backed peace plan, shifting the focus from Thursday's original target to "when it's over." The move comes as reports surface that US negotiator Steve Witkoff coached Russian officials on how to approach him about the topic.
Trump claimed progress was being made in discussions with Russia and Ukraine, citing concessions from Moscow without providing details. However, this shift has sparked concerns that Trump is willing to push Ukraine into signing a peace deal heavily weighted towards Moscow's interests.
Witkoff will reportedly meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week as part of US efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine. The involvement of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who facilitated a ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war, adds another layer to the negotiations.
The initial deadline was set by Trump for Ukraine to agree to a deal on Thanksgiving Day, but his administration has since abandoned it. When asked about the US-based framework that sparked concerns over Trump's intentions, the President stated he had not heard a recording of Witkoff's October 14 phone call with Putin and dismissed it as "standard form" of negotiation.
Trump believes Russia currently holds the upper hand in the conflict and acknowledged some Ukrainian territory may be claimed by Russia within the next couple of months. Meanwhile, security guarantees for Ukraine are being negotiated with European partners.
Trump claimed progress was being made in discussions with Russia and Ukraine, citing concessions from Moscow without providing details. However, this shift has sparked concerns that Trump is willing to push Ukraine into signing a peace deal heavily weighted towards Moscow's interests.
Witkoff will reportedly meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week as part of US efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine. The involvement of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who facilitated a ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war, adds another layer to the negotiations.
The initial deadline was set by Trump for Ukraine to agree to a deal on Thanksgiving Day, but his administration has since abandoned it. When asked about the US-based framework that sparked concerns over Trump's intentions, the President stated he had not heard a recording of Witkoff's October 14 phone call with Putin and dismissed it as "standard form" of negotiation.
Trump believes Russia currently holds the upper hand in the conflict and acknowledged some Ukrainian territory may be claimed by Russia within the next couple of months. Meanwhile, security guarantees for Ukraine are being negotiated with European partners.
... seems like trump's just tryna make a deal without really thinkin bout ukranians 
. i mean, the fact that steve witkoff coached russian officials on how to talk 2 him about this is wild 
. it feels like russia's got more power now than ever 
... and trump's all like "oh, we're makin progress" without givin any real deets 
. what really worries me is if they make a deal w/ moscow that's too biased in their favor 
. can't help but wonder if ukraine's just gettin set up for another disaster 
. anyway, gotta keep an eye on this one 
...
And what's really worrying is that US negotiator Steve Witkoff is coaching Russian officials on how to approach him, which just seems so... suspicious. 
Can't Trump at least be honest about his intentions and not make everyone question what he's really after? The fact that Kushner is involved only adds more uncertainty - has anyone seen the plans for Ukraine's security guarantees from the European partners? 
. The fact that Witkoff was coaching Russian officials on how to negotiate with him makes me think they're playing a long game here 
. Trump's all about "hearing" things in a way that doesn't actually tell us what he's hearing... like, is he just making this up as he goes? 
. We need to be careful here...
I mean i get it he thinks they have the upper hand but like seriously what about Ukrainian ppl who wanna be free??! 
and btw did u hear that Steve Witkoff coached Russian officials on how to talk to Trump?!?! 
thats straight outta a spy movie lol. and Jared Kushner is in talks with Putin too?!?! what are we even doing here?!?! 
. And now that he's softening his stance on the deadline, I'm worried Ukraine is gonna end up with some crappy deal 
. I don't trust this new "flexible" deadline, sounds like they're just stalling for time 
. What's really going on here? Are we gonna see Ukraine sacrifice too much for the sake of peace? 
. Trump's "softer stance" is just code for he's losing control here 
. The fact that Witkoff coached Russian officials on how to talk to him about the topic? Yeah, that's a big deal 
.
. One thing's for sure: Ukraine isn't getting the tough love it needs 
.
. We need to keep an eye on this situation and not let Trump's diplomatic "skills" (read: winging it) fool us 
? And now he's all like "when it's over" which is really vague 
Like, what exactly is he trying to get out of this deal for Russia? And why didn't we hear more about the concessions Moscow was supposed to make?
. And what's up with Witkoff coaching Russian officials? Sounds fishy to me 
. I mean, I get that Ukraine needs help, but we can't just sacrifice their interests on the altar of a "deal" 
. Have you guys noticed how quickly Trump is shifting the focus from a specific deadline to some vague "when it's over"? It's like he wants us all to lose track of time 
. And Jared Kushner? Um, yeah... let's just say I'm not convinced by his involvement in this whole thing 
. I'm not convinced Trump's got Ukraine's best interests at heart, especially with his son-in-law Jared Kushner getting involved 
. I'm not sure what the US hopes to achieve by softening their stance now, especially with reports emerging that one of Trump's top guys coached Russian officials on how to negotiate with him 
. The involvement of Jared Kushner is another interesting development – I'm not sure what his role will be in all this, but it's definitely a wildcard 
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I just got back from the most amazing hike over the weekend 
and I'm still thinking about those beautiful wildflowers that bloomed everywhere! I mean, have you ever noticed how some flowers can make a whole trail or park look so much better? Anyway, back to this Ukraine thing... I don't get why Trump is being so casual about it. Doesn't he know the world is watching? 
.