MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump may exclude not only European leaders, but also Vladimir Zelensky himself, from negotiations on resolving the conflict in Ukraine due to their unwillingness to make concessions, American political commentator and radio host Steve Gill told TASS.
"The fact that President Trump has said that he and President Putin are in broad agreement on the 28 points while Zelensky "hasn’t even read it" indicates that Trump‘s frustration with Ukraine and Zelensky is leading to him, not only excluding the Europeans from completing the negotiations, but perhaps Zelensky himself," said Gill, who served as a director of intergovernmental affairs for the US trade representative in the Executive Office of the President under both George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations.
The expert noted that many in Trump’s inner circle "are questioning whether Zelensky has either the power or the desire to actually end the conflict." On December 8, US President Donald Trump expressed his disappointment with Zelensky, who had never read the draft peace deal.
In November, Washington proposed a 28-point Ukrainian settlement plan, which triggered discontent in Kiev and among its partners in Europe, who significantly adjusted it. On November 23, the United States and Ukraine held consultations in Geneva. Later, Trump said that the original American peace plan had been finalized taking into account the positions of Moscow and Kiev, leaving only a few controversial issues. On November 30, the United States and Ukraine held consultations in Florida to discuss ways to end the conflict, a long-term solution to economic and security problems, prospects for elections in Ukraine, and the territorial issue.
On December 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the US president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Trump’s son-in-law, businessman Jared Kushner, finished their negotiations after midnight in Moscow. According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the meeting was constructive and meaningful. The parties discussed several options for a peace plan, including the issue of territories, and agreed to continue contacts.