Trump ‘Extremely Frustrated’ With Russia, Ukraine As Peace Plan Drags On; ‘Sick Of Meetings’, Says White House

US President Donald Trump is “extremely frustrated” with both Russia and Ukraine over the slow progress in negotiating an end to the ongoing four-year war, the White House said on Thursday. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump was “sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting” and wanted concrete results, not endless discussions.

“The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war. He doesn’t want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end,” Leavitt said during a press briefing.

US Pushes to Broker Truce; High-Level Talks Uncertain

Leavitt confirmed that the Trump administration continues to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv. Trump spoke with European leaders on Wednesday, while US special envoy Steve Witkoff and his team remain in direct contact with officials from both sides.

However, US participation in upcoming high-level negotiations remains undecided. “If there is a real chance of signing a peace agreement… Then we will send a representative. It’s still up in the air,” Leavitt said, signalling doubts about whether the weekend talks can produce a breakthrough.

Zelenskyy Submits Revised 20-Point Counter-Proposals

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Kyiv has presented a revised 20-point peace plan to the US, amid ongoing disagreements over territorial concessions. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not accept any proposal that requires unilateral withdrawal from key areas of Donetsk without reciprocal Russian pullbacks.

“We have two key points of disagreement: the territories of Donetsk… and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” Zelenskyy said. He added that any territorial changes must be approved through a national referendum, stressing he has “no constitutional or moral right” to cede land.

US Proposal Seen as Favouring Russia

According to Zelenskyy, Washington continues to push for Ukraine to pull back its forces from the Donetsk region to create a demilitarised “free economic zone”. The plan would allow Russia to retain positions in southern Ukraine and withdraw only from regions where it has made no formal annexation claims.

Ukraine has strongly resisted the idea, noting that Russia would not be required to match Kyiv’s withdrawal. “Why doesn’t the other side of the war pull back the same distance?” Zelenskyy asked, describing “a great many questions” still unresolved.

Europe Calls Moment ‘Pivotal’ as War Intensifies

European allies, briefed via video conference, called the situation a “pivotal moment” for Ukraine and regional security. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the coming week would be “decisive” in attempts to reach a “just and sustainable peace”.

Meanwhile, fighting on the ground remains fierce. Russia claimed Thursday to have captured Siversk in Donetsk an assertion Ukraine denies as Moscow advances at one of its fastest rates in months.

US Wants Peace Framework by Christmas

Despite no fixed deadline, Zelenskyy said the US is pushing for the contours of a peace agreement to be ready by Christmas. Trump has largely sidelined European involvement, relying on shuttle diplomacy led by Envoy Witkoff and, more recently, his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

As Kyiv battles ongoing attacks including a twin bombing in the capital on Thursday that killed one serviceman pressure from Washington to finalise a deal continues to grow.

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