American diplomats are calling a weekend meeting in Switzerland a success in President Donald Trump’s push to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Whether a final agreement can be reached, however, before a Thanksgiving deadline remains uncertain.
"It is probably the most productive day we have had on this issue," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of the negotiations.
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"Obviously, like any final agreement, they'll have to be agreed upon by the presidents, and there are a couple of issues that we need to continue to work on," Rubio added.
The details of the remaining disagreements have not been disclosed. The peace process has long centered on three key issues: post-war land borders, Ukraine’s military power and Ukraine’s status with NATO.
"Diplomacy has been activated, which is good, very good," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday in a translated post on social media. "We expect that the results will be the right steps."
How those issues will be resolved before President Trump's Thursday deadline remains unclear. On Sunday, the president criticized Ukraine, saying, "UKRAINE 'LEADERSHIP' HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS."
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"Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine???" Trump added early Monday in a social media post. "Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening."
While diplomats reported progress in Switzerland, confusion lingered in Washington over where the peace plan originated. Some lawmakers initially thought it came from Russia. The State Department later clarified that it has always been an American plan.
