Trump: Ukraine Shows “Zero Gratitude”

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday accused Ukraine’s leadership of showing “zero gratitude” for American efforts to broker an end to the war with Russia, comments that came as delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and European governments met in Geneva to discuss a disputed 28-point peace proposal.

Trump posted the remark on his social platform as senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s team and a White House special envoy, joined Ukrainian and European advisers in Switzerland to press talks aimed at producing a negotiated settlement.

The plan, circulated publicly this week in draft form, has proved deeply controversial: critics say key elements echo long-standing Russian demands and would require painful concessions by Kyiv, while U.S. officials and some European leaders describe it as a starting point that needs further work.

The draft proposal includes provisions that, according to published copies and summaries, touch on territorial arrangements, limits on Ukrainian military capabilities, and constraints on NATO membership, items that have alarmed many in Kyiv and across NATO.

Those provisions have prompted immediate pushback from European capitals, which said the U.S. text could be a basis for negotiations but “requires additional work” to protect Ukrainian sovereignty and security.

Confusion over the authorship of the document added to the uproar. Some U.S. senators and commentators suggested the text was closer to a Russian "wish list" than an American blueprint; the State Department and U.S. officials subsequently moved to assert U.S. involvement in drafting and to frame the paper as a U.S.-backed proposal intended to enable talks.

Marco Rubio publicly stated the U.S. has authored and is promoting the framework, even as other American lawmakers and aides reported differing accounts about how the draft circulated within Washington.

Kyiv’s response has been cautious but firm. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his security team have said they will engage in talks but will insist on core Ukrainian security guarantees and will not sign away what they describe as non-negotiable elements of sovereignty. Ukrainian officials and diplomats have signaled they are working with European partners to propose revisions that would prevent any settlement from leaving Kyiv exposed.

European leaders reacted with alarm to both the plan’s content and the tone of political exchanges. Several EU and NATO officials warned publicly that any agreement must preserve Ukraine’s freedom of choice and defensive capabilities; German and other European officials were reported to be seeking amendments to ensure Kyiv’s essential security needs are met before any final accord.

The episode has exposed tensions inside Western policymaking: whereas the White House has sought a fast diplomatic push at times, setting firm timelines for Kyiv to respond, many allies and some U.S. lawmakers urged caution, stressing that any deal that appears to reward Russia could deepen divisions among partners and risk long-term instability.

As the Geneva discussions continue, diplomats and security officials said negotiations will likely focus on reconciling the U.S. text with Ukrainian security demands and with European insistence on protecting international law and territorial integrity.

For now, the diplomatic effort is in flux: Geneva talks are ongoing, Kyiv says it will press for guarantees, European governments call for revisions, and President Trump’s public criticisms of Ukraine have fed a wider debate over American strategy and the prospects for a negotiated end to the war.

Source- The Guardian