Trump Backs Away from Thanksgiving Deadline for Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday stepped back from his earlier Thursday deadline for Ukraine to accept a Washington-supported peace proposal, saying “the deadline for me is when it’s over.”

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump said US negotiators continue to make progress in talks with both Russia and Ukraine. He added that Moscow had agreed to certain concessions, though he did not specify what they were.

Reports last week on a US-backed peace framework raised concerns that the administration might pressure Ukraine into accepting an agreement that favours Moscow. However, Trump signaled a more flexible timeline, despite previously expressing a desire to see an agreement by Thanksgiving.

Trump confirmed that his envoy Steve Witkoff would soon travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also noted that his son-in-law Jared Kushner — who played a key role in brokering the Gaza ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict — was involved in the negotiations.

Although Trump had earlier suggested that Thursday should mark a breakthrough, both he and his aides now indicate they simply want progress as soon as possible. “The deadline for me is when it’s over,” he reiterated.

According to Bloomberg News, Witkoff told Yuri Ushakov — a senior foreign policy adviser to Putin — in an October 14 call that the two sides should cooperate on a ceasefire plan for Ukraine and recommended that Putin discuss the matter with Trump. The report said Witkoff’s guidance included arranging a Trump-Putin conversation before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s White House visit that week, and potentially using the recently concluded Gaza agreement as an entry point.

Asked about the Bloomberg report, Trump said he had not personally heard the recording of the call but was unsurprised by its content, saying, “that’s what a dealmaker does.” He added, “You know, that’s a very standard form of negotiation. I would imagine he’s saying the same thing to Ukraine.”

Trump also remarked that Russia appeared to be gaining the advantage in the conflict and suggested it may be in Ukraine’s strategic interest to pursue a negotiated settlement. He said that some Ukrainian territory “might be taken by Russia anyway” in the coming months.

He further noted that security guarantees for Ukraine were currently being discussed with European partners.