AKP Phnom Penh, 27 November, 2025--
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that the peace plan negotiated by Ukraine and the United States in Geneva could be developed into "deeper agreements," as U.S. President Donald Trump is sending his special envoy to Moscow next week.

In his evening address, Zelensky said he had discussed the plan with Ukraine's negotiating team. "The principles in this document can be developed into deeper agreements. And it is in our shared interest that security is real," he said.

He also voiced hope for continued active cooperation with the U.S. side.

Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators reached an agreement in principle on most aspects of the U.S.-proposed peace plan, Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, said earlier in the day. But the plan was significantly modified from the original 28 points, he added.

Zelensky hopes to discuss territorial issues directly with Trump, Yermak said.

The 28-point draft plan aimed at ending the Ukraine crisis has been trimmed to a 19-point framework drafted by the United States and Ukraine on Sunday in Geneva, multiple media outlets reported.

Trump said Tuesday in a Truth Social post that his team has made "tremendous progress" over the past week, and the original 28-point peace plan "has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides."

"There are only a few remaining points of disagreement," Trump said, noting that he has directed his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week in the hope of finalizing a peace deal.

"At the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians," he added.

Trump said he looks forward to hopefully meeting with Putin and Zelensky soon, but only when the peace deal is finalized or in its final stages.

Moreover, the U.S. president backed away from a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to agree to the U.S.-backed peace plan. "The deadline for me is when it's over," Trump told reporters on board Air Force One as he flew to Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Trump also noted that Moscow had agreed to some concessions, without detailing them.

Both the U.S. and Ukrainian sides confirmed "progress" after their talks in Geneva on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that he remained "very optimistic" about reaching an agreement within a "very reasonable period of time very soon."

However, "(some) require higher-level decisions and consultation," Rubio added.

According to U.S. media, the initial 28-point plan, widely seen as favorable to Russia, includes major territorial concessions by Ukraine, ruling out Ukraine's NATO bid, and sharp reductions in its armed forces.

A Ukrainian diplomat told reporters that the territorial issue remained a major sticking point in the peace plan, meaning a final deal was far from certain despite accords on various specific points. "These are really tough questions for us," the diplomat said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that an amended peace plan for Ukraine must reflect the "spirit and letter" of understandings reached between Putin and Trump at their Alaska summit.

Last week, Putin said the U.S.-proposed peace plan "could form the basis for a final settlement," although "this text has not been discussed with us in any substantive way."

"We are interested in achieving our goals through political and diplomatic means, and consistently adhere to this position," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday, adding that Russia remains fully open to negotiations on the Ukraine crisis.

Also on Tuesday, Zelensky urged European leaders to hash out a framework for "deploying a reassurance force" to Ukraine and to keep backing Kiev. He made the remarks Tuesday at a video conference of the "Coalition of the Willing," a group of about 30 countries supporting Ukraine.

After the video conference, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France and Britain will launch a workshop to coordinate security guarantees for Ukraine with the involvement of the United States.

France and other European Union members are also working on a plan to provide financial support for Ukraine, Macron said.

The ongoing Ukraine crisis has lasted for almost four years since it broke out in February 2022, causing heavy human and economic losses.

AKP-Xinhua