Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seeking a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump "as soon as possible" — potentially over Thanksgiving — to finalize a joint Ukrainian-American agreement on ending the war, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak told Axios.
According to Yermak, the U.S. and Ukraine have reached an agreement in principle on most aspects of the plan, which has been significantly altered from the initial 28-point U.S. proposal. However, Zelensky intends to discuss the issue of territorial concessions with Trump personally.
A U.S. official confirmed to Axios that discussions regarding a meeting this week or next are underway, though no date has been set. Trump is scheduled to leave Washington on Tuesday evening for Mar-a-Lago, where he will remain until Sunday. Yermak noted that holding the meeting during the holiday could carry symbolic weight.
"I hope President Zelensky's visit will happen as soon as possible because it will help President Trump continue his historic mission to finish this war," Yermak said in an interview with Axios on Tuesday morning.
The main stumbling block remains the territorial question. The original 28-point plan pledged additional territory to Russia beyond what it currently controls, drawing sharp criticism from Ukraine and some of its allies. The U.S. argued that the war's current trajectory suggests it is only a matter of time before Ukraine loses this ground anyway.
Yermak emphasized that, barring the territorial issues Zelensky plans to raise with Trump, the current draft aligns with Ukraine's interests and respects its red lines.
One key adaptation in the new project involves security guarantees from the U.S. and European allies. "I think now it looks very strong," Yermak said regarding the text on security assurances. He added that the guarantees would be "legally binding" and noted a "positive reaction" from the American side regarding enshrining them in a formal treaty.
Axios reported that the previous draft called for the U.S. and NATO to view a prolonged Russian attack on Ukraine as an attack on the entire "transatlantic community."
Regarding NATO, Yermak noted that while Ukraine will not abandon its constitutional commitment to future alliance membership, "We live in reality now. We are not in NATO."
The current draft contains 19 points instead of the original 28; issues not directly related to peace in Ukraine were removed, and several other points were modified to be more acceptable to Kyiv.
"My suggestion is to forget about the 28 points," Yermak said with a rare smile. "Life is changing so fast that I think it's already in the past. It's great that our partners support us, listen to us, and are working on a plan that will be acceptable for Ukraine."
Yermak praised his American counterparts, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Tuesday that while Moscow "welcomed" the initial American plan, the "situation will be fundamentally different" if the new version deviates from agreements between Trump and President Vladimir Putin.
Yermak also issued a spirited defense of Zelensky's anti-corruption record amid a scandal currently rocking the administration. The opposition is demanding Yermak's resignation, though he is not implicated in the allegations. A U.S. official told Axios last week that the scandal could weaken Ukraine's negotiating position.
Yermak stressed that nightly Russian attacks on Kyiv are a sign that Russia does not plan to make peace. However, he argued that if the U.S. and Ukraine can finalize a joint position, and Trump pressures Putin to negotiate on those terms, the end of the war could be near.
Last week, the U.S. provided Ukraine with two documents: a 28-point settlement plan and a draft framework agreement on security guarantees. U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll delivered an ultimatum to Kyiv: agree to the plan by November 27 or face a cutoff of U.S. military and intelligence aid.
The initial 28-point plan drew sharp criticism in Ukraine and Europe due to demands for territorial concessions, military restrictions, and the renunciation of NATO membership. In a detailed analysis for Hvylya, political expert Yuriy Romanenko compared the situation to the 1938 Munich Agreement, where Czechoslovakia's fate was decided without its input. According to him, the plan was developed in consultations between Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, without the involvement of Ukraine or Europe.
On Sunday, November 23, the Ukrainian delegation began work in Geneva, where negotiations took place with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff. A U.S. official told Reuters that final approval is likely possible only during a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Zelensky, which is now being proposed for Thanksgiving.
