The U.S. is close to agreement with Ukraine on a peace plan, but has so far had little clear success in getting Putin on board, though he hasn't rejected it outright. Territorial control in eastern Ukraine will be the primary issue discussed in Abu Dhabi, sources say. Driving the news: White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, and White House official Josh Gruenbaum met with Putin inside the Kremlin.
A peace deal is "90 percent ready...but the remaining 10 percent contains, in fact, everything...that will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, and how people will live," he said in the televised address. "What does Ukraine want? Peace? Yes." "But at any cost? No. We want the end of the war. Not the end of Ukraine," he added.
The original 28-point US-Russian plan was drawn up last month by Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's special envoy, and Trump's representative Steve Witkoff. It calls on Ukraine to withdraw from cities it controls in the eastern Donbas region, limit the size of its army, and not join Nato. During negotiations on Sunday in Switzerland led by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak the plan was substantially revised. It now includes only 19 points.
The other day, Axios posted a ridiculous column (with Mike Allen as the first byline) beginning to lay the groundwork for Trump to repackage imminent failure on Ukraine. It starts by allowing senior White House officials anonymously and vaguely blame Europeans for Trump's failure to craft a deal. Frustrated Trump aides contend the blame should fall on European allies, not on Trump or even Russian President Vladimir Putin. All three bases for that blame in the column are ridiculous:
