2+ hour, 35+ min ago (506+ words) Trump has repeatedly pressured Ukraine to accept territorial concessions in exchange for a peace deal with Russia. HALLANDALE BEACH, FLORIDA: US and Ukrainian officials sat down in Florida on Sunday (Nov 30) to discuss outlines of a peace deal with Russia, talks that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he expected to yield progress toward ending the more than 3-year-long war. "It's about creating a pathway forward that leaves Ukraine sovereign, independent and prosperous, and so we expect to make even more progress today," Rubio said in Hallandale Beach, Florida, where the meeting took place. Sunday's discussions follow roughly two weeks of negotiations that began with'a US blueprint for peace that critics said initially favored Russia, which started the Ukraine conflict with a 2022 invasion.' US President Donald Trump has expressed frustration at not being able to end the war. He pledged…...

1+ day, 16+ hour ago (299+ words) KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday (Nov 29) that a delegation headed by security council secretary Rustem Umerov was on its way to the United States to continue talks on an agreement to end Russia's war. Umerov has been put in charge of the Ukrainian delegation after the previous lead negotiator, Zelenskyy's powerful chief of staff Andriy Yermak, resigned on Friday hours after anti-corruption detectives searched his apartment. Zelenskiy said he expected that the results of previous meetings with the US in Geneva, which took place last weekend, would now be "hammered out" on Sunday. Those meetings allowed Ukraine to present a counter-offer to proposals laid out by US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll to leaders in Kyiv almost two weeks ago. "Rustem delivered a report today, and the task is clear: to swiftly and substantively work out…...

2+ day, 44+ min ago (524+ words) KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's powerful chief of staff Andriy Yermak, a close ally who has headed Ukraine's negotiation team at fraught US-backed peace talks quit on Friday (Nov 28), hours after anti-corruption agents searched his home. A major probe into high-level graft, at a time when Ukraine is fighting against Russia for its very survival, has sparked public outrage and thrust its leadership into crisis as Washington steps up pressure on Kyiv to reach a settlement. Yermak was leading Ukraine's effort to push back against terms proposed by the US that would satisfy many of Moscow's territorial and security demands. Zelenskyy said he would consider a replacement on Saturday. "Russia is eager for Ukraine to make mistakes. We won't make any," Zelenskyy said on Friday in a video address, calling for greater unity. "Our work goes on. Our struggle goes on....

4+ day, 23+ hour ago (492+ words) Trump's initial 28-point plan, criticised for being heavily aligned with Russia's demands, has been replaced with a revised proposal that includes more Ukrainian positions." WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Nov 25) that a deal to end the Ukraine war was "very close, even as European leaders urged caution and Russian missiles struck Kyiv during the latest overnight barrage. Trump, who has repeatedly expressed frustration that he has not yet delivered on his campaign pledge to rapidly end the conflict, said "we are getting very close to a deal. His initial 28-point plan, criticised for being heavily aligned with Russia's demands, has been replaced with a revised proposal that includes more Ukrainian positions. A Ukrainian official told AFP the new version was "significantly better, though US officials acknowledged that "delicate issues remain unresolved. French President Emmanuel Macron said there…...

6+ day, 8+ hour ago (626+ words) KYIV: US and Ukrainian officials said on Monday (Nov 24) they had drafted a refined framework for ending the war with Russia, after talks in Geneva produced a revised version of a US plan that Kyiv and its European allies had criticised as too favourable to Moscow. In a joint statement, Washington and Kyiv said the updated approach was the result of Sunday's discussions in Switzerland, although neither side released specifics. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his delegation was returning to Kyiv to report on the outcome. US President Donald Trump hinted at movement in the talks, writing on Truth Social that "something good just may be happening. Later at the White House, spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said a "couple of points of disagreement remained but added that Washington was confident they could be resolved. She said no meeting between Trump and…...

1+ week, 44+ min ago (973+ words) The US and Ukraine did not provide specifics about a host of issues that must be resolved, including how to guarantee Kyiv's security from the threat posed by Russia. GENEVA: The United States and Ukraine said they had created an "updated and refined peace framework" to end the war with Russia that apparently modified an earlier plan drafted by the Trump administration which Kyiv and its allies saw as too sympathetic to Moscow. In a joint statement released after talks in Geneva between US and Ukrainian delegations, the two sides said their discussion was "highly productive" and said they would continue in coming days." In a separate statement, the White House said the new version included strengthened security guarantees, and that the Ukrainian delegation had said it "reflects their national interests". Ukrainian officials did not provide a separate statement of…...

1+ week, 44+ min ago (973+ words) The US and Ukraine did not provide specifics about a host of issues that must be resolved, including how to guarantee Kyiv's security from the threat posed by Russia. GENEVA: The United States and Ukraine said they had created an "updated and refined peace framework" to end the war with Russia that apparently modified an earlier plan drafted by the Trump administration which Kyiv and its allies saw as too sympathetic to Moscow. In a joint statement released after talks in Geneva between US and Ukrainian delegations, the two sides said their discussion was "highly productive" and said they would continue in coming days." In a separate statement, the White House said the new version included strengthened security guarantees, and that the Ukrainian delegation had said it "reflects their national interests". Ukrainian officials did not provide a separate statement of…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (159+ words) Leaders of France, Germany and the UK are meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit to discuss a joint response to the US-backed peace plan for Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that any settlement to the war must involve Kyiv and provide security guarantees. Leaders of France, Germany and the UK are meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit to discuss a joint response to the US-backed peace plan for Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that any settlement to the war must involve Kyiv and provide security guarantees. Leaders of France, Germany and the UK are meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit to discuss a joint response to the US-backed peace plan for Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron stressed…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (106+ words) Leaders of France, Germany and the UK are meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit to discuss a joint response to the US-backed peace plan for Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that any settlement to the war must involve Kyiv and provide security guarantees. Leaders of France, Germany and the UK are meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit to discuss a joint response to the US-backed peace plan for Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that any settlement to the war must involve Kyiv and provide security guarantees....

1+ week, 1+ day ago (953+ words) Ukraine would give up a swathe of eastern territory to Russia and slash the size of its army under a sweeping 28-point peace plan backed by US President Donald Trump, according to a draft proposal that has been widely leaked. Kyiv would also pledge never to join NATO. It would not get the Western peacekeepers they have called for, although European warplanes would be stationed in Poland to protect Ukraine. The proposal, originating from negotiations between Washington and Moscow, appeared favourable to Russia, which started the war nearly four years ago. Here's what we know about the leaked text and the reactions to it. Key parts of the proposal correspond to Moscow's previous demands and cross Ukraine's red lines. These include that Ukraine would withdraw from the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, the frontline industrial belt known collectively as the Donbas,…...