❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not acting on a proposed peace deal to end the Ukraine-Russia war.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Trump envoys including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Statements made Sunday evening at the Kennedy Center and during ongoing negotiations in Miami, Florida, and Moscow, Russia.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal. That was as of a few hours ago.” – President Donald J. Trump
🎯IMPACT: Peace negotiations remain stalled as territorial disputes and nuclear plant issues hinder progress.
President Donald J. Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, saying he was surprised and “a little bit disappointed” that Zelensky had not yet reviewed the Trump administration’s proposal to end the war with Russia. Speaking to reporters at the Kennedy Center, Trump said Russia appeared “fine with” the plan, while questioning why Kiev had not responded.
“I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal. That was as of a few hours ago,” President Trump said.
Zelensky, addressing reporters after meeting Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, described the talks as “not easy” and said that Ukraine continued to seek “a dignified peace.” He insisted that any settlement ultimately depended on Russia and on the “collective pressure” applied by the United States, Europe, and other partners. Zelensky is traveling this week to London, Brussels, and Rome for meetings with European leaders as Western governments debate how aggressively to pursue a U.S.-led peace initiative.
Moscow, meanwhile, signaled that it expects substantial adjustments to Washington’s plan. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Russia believes “radical changes” are necessary and pointed to unresolved “territorial problems,” though he did not specify what revisions the Kremlin wanted.
Two issues remain central obstacles: the status of the Donbas region and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant—the largest such plant in all of Europe. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, suggested negotiators were closing in on a framework. “If we get those two issues settled, I think the rest of the things will work out fairly well. We’re almost there,” he said. The Trump administration has circulated a 28-point peace outline, and U.S. and Ukrainian officials recently held three days of talks in Miami, Florida, though no breakthrough was announced.
As peace discussions continue, Ukraine is grappling with internal turmoil. A sweeping criminal investigation into alleged corruption inside the nuclear energy sector has triggered what local media have described as a $100-million scandal. Prosecutors say contractors working with the state-run Energoatom were pressured to pay kickbacks to secure agreements. One businessman linked in local reporting to Zelensky, Timur Mindich, reportedly fled Ukraine for Israel shortly before police raids on his properties.
Meanwhile, tensions have emerged among Western allies. According to recent reporting, the Pentagon has paused routine communication with Germany’s Defense Ministry amid disagreements over Washington’s diplomatic push for peace, even as European leaders engage Zelensky in parallel consultations on Ukraine’s negotiating position.
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