U.S. President Donald Trump said the parties are close to signing a peace agreement over Russia's war against Ukraine. He spoke during the traditional turkey pardoning ceremony for Thanksgiving in the White House garden.
"It's not easy, but I think we'll manage. I think we're very close to making a deal... I think we're making progress"
– Trump said.
Statements on casualties and negotiations
The American president reiterated his claim about the deaths of 25,000 Ukrainian and Russian servicemembers in October. He also mentioned the end of several conflicts and admitted that he had expected an easier process to stop the full-scale war in Ukraine.
Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak told Axios that Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeks to meet with Trump on Thanksgiving to finalize the peace plan. According to Yermak, such a meeting on a holiday would have symbolic significance.
Context
A day earlier, Verkhovna Rada speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk outlined Ukraine's red lines in peace talks. The following day, Andriy Yermak said that the current version of the peace plan is in line with Ukrainian interests.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Europe will work on the American peace plan without creating its own alternative.
