US President Donald Trump on Sunday blasted Ukraine for having “zero gratitude” for his efforts to end the war with Russia, as Ukrainian and American officials met in Geneva.
His comments come after the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that his country has to confront the possibility of losing its dignity, or risking the loss of a vital partner, after being given a week by the US to accept the framework of a Washington-brokered peace deal.
“The War between Russia and Ukraine is a violent and terrible one that, with strong and proper US and Ukrainian leadership, would have never happened,” Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social, taking a swing at both his predecessor Joe Biden and Mr Zelenskyy.
“Ukraine 'leadership' has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts, and Europe continues to buy oil from Russia.” Mr Trump also criticised Mr Biden for giving Nato weapons for use in Ukraine for “free, free, free”, and claimed millions of people have been killed in the conflict.
Mr Zelenskyy responded to the criticism in a post on Telegram, saying "Ukraine is thankful to the United States, to every American heart and particularly to President Trump for the help which, starting with Javelin [missiles], saves Ukrainian lives".
A leaked 28-point peace plan put forward by the US calls for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia and limit the size of its military. It would also prevent the future expansion of Nato, and Ukraine would be barred from admission.
In addition, $100 billion in frozen Russian assets would be used to rebuild Ukraine. There would also be a path to reintegrate Russia into the global economy.
Mr Trump said last week he wants a response from Kyiv on the proposal by Thursday, the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. He said on Saturday that the proposal is “not my final offer”, telling reporters after a question from NBC News: “One way or the other, we have to get it ended.”
Washington has reportedly warned that military and intelligence support could be curtailed if Kyiv resists.
“This is one of the most difficult moments in our history,” Mr Zelenskyy said in a video address to the nation last week. “Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.”
Critics have said the peace plan essentially grants Russia all of its major aims while Ukraine receives nothing.
Politicians critical of the Trump administration's approach to ending the war said on Saturday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told them the peace plan is a “wish list” of the Russians and not the actual proposal offering Washington's positions.
Mr Rubio denied those claims, however. “The peace proposal was authored by the US,” he said in a post on X on Saturday night.
“It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”
Ukrainian, American and European officials met in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the plan, after Kyiv and allies voiced alarm over the plan. But Kyiv's lead negotiator said on Sunday the US plan includes "many Ukrainian priorities".
"We appreciate our American partners working closely with us to understand our concerns to reach this critical point and we expect to make more progress today," Rustem Umerov said in a post on X.
Mr Rubio said the talks had yielded “tremendous” progress. He said the US wanted to end the war “soon” but suggested Washington was flexible with its timeline.
