By Janet Ekstract, NEW YORK – A U.S. official told the BBC that there’s positive momentum in the Geneva talks on a peace plan for Ukraine with officials from Europe and the UK along with top U.S. officials to hammer out a workable peace proposal that takes into account Ukraine’s needs not just those of Russia. The meetings began over dinner on November 22 and are continuing all day in a variety of formats, according to press reports. Ukrainian official Andriy Yermak said the mood is constructive but earlier in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Ukraine of being “ungrateful” on his Truth Social site. As Trump said: “UKRAINE LEADERSHIP HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA.” The 28-point peace proposal did not favor Ukraine nor present any security guarantees and would require Ukraine to not only cede territory but give up its weapons, drastically reduce its military and agree not to join NATO. European leaders as well as top Ukrainian officials rejected the first proposal as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pointed out the proposal needed to define a “just peace” for Ukraine.

Trump has given Ukraine until Thursday, November 27 to accept the proposal but with the plan leaning toward appeasing Russia – German Chancellor Frederich Merz commented on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. Merz expressed his skepticism that a deal favoring Ukraine could be reached in such a short time. The German leader pointed out that the emphasis now should be on drafting a proposal acceptable to Ukraine that can be used to negotiate a peace agreement with Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Zelensky said there is now an understanding that the U.S.-proposed peace plan may consider “a number of elements that are based on the Ukrainian vision and that are critical to Ukraine’s national interests.” Zelensky added that more work needs to be done to guarantee that “all elements are truly effective in achieving the main goal – to finally put an end to the bloodshed and war.”