Trump’s Peace Summit Plans Stalled

WASHINGTON – President Trump’s recent comments have put a damper on hopes in Kiev for a peace summit this week aimed at ending the nearly three-year conflict with Russia.

Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shared during an interview that Trump would be sending the army chief to Truth Social. Dan Driscoll was dispatched as a special presidential envoy to Moscow for discussions with Ukrainian representatives, effectively pushing back the previous goal of stopping the violence by Thanksgiving.

Yermak had just conveyed his optimism that a 19-point proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war would be adopted as a joint plan by the U.S. and Ukraine. He envisioned a scenario where Trump and Zelenskiy could potentially sign the agreement at Mar-a-Lago during the Thanksgiving holiday.

“I look forward to meeting with President Zelensky and President Putin in the near future, but only when an agreement to end this war is finalized or nearly finalized,” Trump stated, adding, “Let’s all hope that peace is achieved as soon as possible!”

After receiving this update, Yermak appeared visibly disheartened. When asked for his thoughts, he requested to reconnect in 24 hours to reassess the situation.

“We need to wait to understand how Driscoll will engage in Moscow and what Witkov’s role will be,” Yermak mentioned. “The good thing about President Trump is that he can change his position quickly.”

Kiev had anticipated an imminent meeting between Zelenskiy and Trump, driven not just by symbolic gestures, but due to the escalating Russian missile strikes and increasing civilian casualties.

“Every day we risk losing our best people, our children. We don’t have time,” Yermak stressed.

On the negotiation table is the 19-point proposal negotiated over the weekend between U.S. and Ukrainian officials, which Yermak hoped would be recognized as a unified peace plan by the end of the week to apply pressure on the Kremlin.

However, Russia has yet to show commitment, especially after previously rejecting an earlier deal that was more favorable to them, known as the “28-point plan.”

The 19-point draft remains a work in progress. Yermak expressed hope that remaining issues could be addressed directly between Trump and Zelenskiy, ideally in a face-to-face meeting as soon as Thursday.

When asked about the significant obstacle of needing Russia’s approval, Yermak reiterated that only the United States has the leverage to compel Russia to agree to a deal.

“I believe the United States has substantial potential to pressure Russia,” he stated, highlighting sanctions and Washington’s broader international influence.

In particular, Trump claimed he possesses the influence needed to resolve the conflict.

“I still believe that the world leader who can end this war is President Trump. That’s President Trump,” he concluded.