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Trump said his proposed plan could bring a way of getting peace in Ukraine but insisted Zelenskyy must approve it, arguing Kyiv will eventually need to accept terms it has long resisted.
US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Nov 22, 2025 04:23 IST
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he believes his proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine is a way of getting peace, but insisted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will have to approve the plan before any agreement can move forward.
“We think we have a way of getting peace — he’s going to have to approve it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think they’re getting reasonably close, but I don’t want to predict.”
Zelensky has to approve it.” Trump on the U.S. “peace plan”
He also said that “Ukraine should hurry with its decision on the peace plan — this winter will be a cold one pic.twitter.com/YOILxWjMpD— ASTRA (@ASTRA_PRESS) November 21, 2025
Trump called the war a shame and a war that should have never happened, arguing that it would not have begun if he had been in office. “It’s horrible what’s happening,” he said. “Last month they lost 25,000 soldiers. We haven’t seen anything like this since the Second World War,” he added.
The President said he had spoken with Ukrainian officials and believed the conflict had reached a stage where difficult choices were unavoidable. “At some point, he’s going to have to accept something he hasn’t accepted,” Trump said of Zelenskyy.
Trump also emphasized the mounting human and infrastructure cost of the conflict. “It’s a cold winter, and a lot of the big energy-producing plants have been under attack,” he said. “They’re averaging six or seven thousand dead soldiers a week between the two of them,” the President added.
The president pointed to his earlier diplomatic record, saying he had “done eight peace deals” in previous years, including efforts involving India and Pakistan and mediation in conflicts in Congo and Rwanda.
“I have a very good relationship with President Putin,” Trump said, adding he believed a resolution might have been achieved faster under different circumstances. “It does take two to tango,” he said. “Now you just see all the death.”
Trump said the war “doesn’t affect us other than the fact that we don’t want to see all those people” suffering but noted the conflict has broader global implications. “We’re trying to save a lot of lives,” he said.
He added once more: “This is a war that should have never happened — and it wouldn’t have happened if I were president.”
THE PLANE AND ITS STAKES
Washington’s 28-point proposal, details of which were confirmed by sources familiar with the draft, would require Ukraine to cede some territory, accept limits on its military and abandon its bid to join NATO. It also requires Russia to pull back from certain areas it has seized.
Putin on Friday signaled cautious support, saying the US plan could be the basis for a final settlement, even as he acknowledged Ukraine and its European partners remain opposed.
Zelenskyy has warned the proposal risks stripping Ukraine of its dignity, freedom and possibly US support. Speaking earlier on Friday, he said the country faced a very difficult choice and that he would fight to preserve the dignity and freedom of Ukrainians.
However, Trump dismissed the criticism, saying Zelenskyy lacked the leverage to impose unilateral terms. “I told him he didn’t have the cards,” Trump said. “He’s going to have to approve it.”
- Ends
With inputs from agencies
Published By:
Aashish Vashistha
Published On:
Nov 22, 2025
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