President Donald Trump appears to be backing off his peace deal to end Russia‘s war in Ukraine after pressure from European leaders, most notably from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Starmer called Trump on Saturday about the plan, which would force Ukraine to give up a large portion of its land, cut its army in half and hold elections within 100 days.
This comes after Trump gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a strict deadline of next Thursday to agree to the deal.
After the call with Starmer, who also called Zelensky on Saturday to express his support for Ukraine, Trump appeared to soften on what was previously a red line.
He told reporters this afternoon that his peace deal is ‘not my final offer’, adding, ‘We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago.’
‘The Ukraine war with Russia should have never happened. If I were president, it never would have happened. We’re trying to get it ended. One way or the other we have to get it ended,’ he added.
When asked what would happen in Zelensky didn’t agree to the deal, Trump said: ‘Then he can continue to fight his little heart out.’
European nations have pushed back against Trump’s proposed peace plan, which was brokered with the help of the Kremlin without Ukraine’s input.
President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on Saturday and appeared to walk back his earlier, harsh deadline for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept his proposed peace plan
This came after Trump had a phone conversation with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who unambiguously supports Ukraine over Russia in the ongoing war
In a joint statement released after the Group of 20 Meeting on Saturday, European leaders said they believed the plan would bring the conflict closer to an end.
The statement — signed by Germany, France, Britain, Japan and Canada and the European Union — argued that Trump’s plan ‘includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace’.
‘We believe therefore that the draft is a basis which will require additional work,’ they added.
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters at the G20 that his problem wasn’t with the US or Trump, but with Vladimir Putin, whom he accused of refusing to agree to ceasefires.
The peace plan put forward by Trump and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has been controversial with EU states because it would allow Russia to keep occupied territory in Ukraine – Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.
It would also force Ukraine to hand over other territory in the east that isn’t currently occupied by Russia, mostly areas in Donetsk.
The agreement also freezes the front lines of the conflict at the Ukrainian oblasts of Kherson and Zaporizhia, which would allow Russia to effectively hold onto nearby Mariupol and have a direct line into the Crimean Peninsula.
Another key point is that Ukraine will forever be barred from NATO, the military alliance that Russia has long wanted to keep a buffer between.
Trump’s peace deal includes many Russian demands and now that he appears open to negotiation with NATO partners and Ukraine, the opportunity for an end to the war by next week is unlikely.
