Zelenskyy's administration says he wants to meet Trump on Thanksgiving – Axios
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to meet US President Donald Trump to discuss the "peace deal", possibly on 27 November, Thanksgiving Day.
Source: Axios, citing comments by Andrii Yermak, Head of the President's Office
Details: According to Axios, Yermak said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "wants to meet President Trump 'as soon as possible' – possibly over Thanksgiving" – to finalise the joint US-Ukrainian draft peace agreement.
However, Axios did not quote Yermak on the specific date.
A US official confirmed to Axios that talks had been held with the Ukrainians about a meeting this week or next, but said no date had yet been set.
Trump is due to leave Washington on Tuesday evening 25 November for Thanksgiving and plans to remain at Mar-a-Lago until Sunday.
"It could be symbolically significant to hold the meeting around the holiday. I hope the visit of President Zelenskyy will take place as soon as possible, because ... it will help President Trump continue his historical mission to end this war," Yermak told Axios in an interview over Zoom on Tuesday morning.
"Because [Trump] can say: 'Look, this is confirmed and agreed, our position with the Ukrainians. We support it, and we continue now to speak with the Russians,'" Yermak added.
He also said that the primary issue remains the territory, which has to be resolved by the US and Ukrainian presidents.
Background:
- The Financial Times has reported earlier that US President Donald Trump's administration is exerting heavy pressure on Ukraine, demanding that it agree to the American-Russian "peace plan" by Thanksgiving.
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on 25 November that the United States has made "tremendous progress" towards reaching a "peace deal" between Ukraine and Russia, but "there are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out".
- Leavitt's statement comes amid reports of talks between US and Russian representatives in the United Arab Emirates.
- The United States and Ukraine developed a new 19-point peace agreement during the Geneva talks but left the most politically sensitive issues for the two presidents to decide.
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