Trump says peace deal is close, Ukraine may emerge with different borders
Donald Trump said the US is very close to a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine and that a deal could be reached soon. He also said Ukraine would likely remain independent and free, but could have “a slightly different shape” afterward. Ahead of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, he identified personal animosity between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin as the main obstacle to peace.
Key points
- Trump said the US is very close to a peace agreement and that it could be reached soon.
- He said Ukraine would likely remain independent and free but have different territorial outlines after the war.
- Trump identified personal animosity between Zelenskyy and Putin as the main obstacle to peace.
- Trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the US are scheduled for November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi.
- Ukraine's delegation will be led by Foreign Intelligence Service chief Rustem Umierov.
- Russia demands the rest of Donbas, a neutral status for Ukraine and NATO's return to its mid-1990s configuration.
- Trump said the US continues to supply weapons to Ukraine, but Europe now pays for them.
- Trump claimed the US gave Ukraine $350 billion in cash and weapons under Joe Biden, while saying he provided it nothing directly.
Why it matters
Trump's remarks on a potentially changed territorial outline for Ukraine directly concern the possible outcome of peace negotiations and the protection of Ukrainian independence. His claim that a deal is close links those remarks to the trilateral talks scheduled for Abu Dhabi. The proposed shift toward Europe paying for US-supplied weapons also changes the description of how American military support for Ukraine is financed.
What happened
In an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes, published on November 8, Trump said the parties were close to reaching a peace agreement and that it could happen soon. He declined to say whether he trusted Zelenskyy or Putin more, saying he got along well with both, and rejected suggestions that Putin was deliberately prolonging talks or misleading him. Trump said personal animosity between the two leaders was the main obstacle to peace. He also said Ukraine would likely remain independent and free after the war, although its territorial outlines could change. Separately, the US and Russia were preparing for trilateral talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, with additional meetings involving European representatives planned. Ukraine's delegation is to be led by Rustem Umierov, and France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said France would take part. Trump described a system under which the US continues supplying weapons to Ukraine but transfers and sells them to Europe at full price, with Europe paying the US.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage largely focuses on the possibility that Ukraine's territorial boundaries could change after the war and on whether its independence will be secured. It also places Trump's comments against Russia's demands for the rest of Donbas, a neutral status for Ukraine and changes to NATO, as well as Zelenskyy's willingness to discuss territorial issues and security guarantees for Russia, provided Ukraine's needs are taken into account. The reporting also identifies Rustem Umierov as the head of Ukraine's delegation and notes France's participation in the talks.
How international sources describe it
English-language coverage centers on Trump's confidence that an agreement will be reached soon, while German-language coverage frames the statement through the planned peace talks in Abu Dhabi. International reporting emphasizes his optimism about a near-term agreement without detailing the dispute over past US spending on Ukraine as extensively as the Ukrainian coverage does.
Where reporting differs
The main difference in emphasis concerns past US expenditure on Ukraine. Trump claimed that under Joe Biden, the US provided Ukraine with $350 billion in cash and weapons, while saying that under his own presidency it provided nothing directly. At the same time, he said weapons are now transferred to Europe and sold at full price, with Europe paying the US.
Background
Russia claims the territories occupied since the start of the war in eastern Ukraine, the remainder of Ukrainian-controlled Donbas and Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Ukraine says its constitutionally established territorial integrity takes priority and that Russia has no right to the occupied territories. Zelenskyy has said he is ready to discuss territorial issues with Putin and has previously allowed discussion of security guarantees for Russia, but only if Ukraine's needs are addressed. Russia has also continued to attack Ukraine with drones; a recent overnight attack injured several people in Kremenchuk and Odesa, where electrical grids and energy infrastructure appeared to have been targeted.