Ukraine War: ++ According to Trump, US peace plan may not be the last straw ++ Direct hints

The US government’s new plan to end Russia’s war of aggression contains many proposals that will be difficult for Kiev to accept. You can read the 28-point plan in full here.

All events surrounding the war in Ukraine and security policy in Europe can be viewed live:

18:36 – Trump takes a softer stance on peace plan

According to US President Donald Trump, the US peace plan to end the war in Ukraine may not be the last straw. “We’re trying to end this one way or another,” he told reporters in Washington. When asked if this was his final offer, he replied: “No.”

On Friday, Republicans called on Ukraine to approve the project by next Thursday.

According to the Washington Post, the US linked the ultimatum to a threat. If a country invaded by Russia rejects the peace plan, it would lose US support, the newspaper reported, citing several people familiar with the matter.

13:51 – “Many people should take Putin more seriously, especially in Germany”

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warned against strategic impatience on the part of the West and called for a tougher European response to Russia’s hybrid attacks. “Russia is no more difficult to read than it was before the attack. Many people should take Putin more seriously, especially in Germany. Moscow is agitating directly and through proxies to sow uncertainty. In the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin is banking on our impatience. It’s about us saying: ‘You can’t win this war.’ Or: ‘We need money for social welfare.’ “He hopes that time will work for him – and that we do not use frozen Russian assets,” Kristersson told “Spiegel”.

11:03 – Merz arrives at the G-20 summit

The G-20 Summit has begun. And the 28-point peace plan is its absolute focus. Chancellor Merz and other heads of state and government want to meet with Zelensky to discuss the crisis on the sidelines of the summit. European countries were shocked by Trump’s move and, according to German government officials, are drawing up their own mediation documents.

“Together we fight for strong partnerships, crisis diplomacy, and order based on law and reliability,” Merz wrote in X. However, the United States, Russia and China were not represented at the summit.

09:10 – “Either we will lose dignity or lose key partners,” says Zelensky

Zelensky rejects the 28-point plan in its current form. He would not “betray” his country, he said in his address to the nation. Ukraine faces “very difficult decisions”; the country will lose its “dignity” or “main partner”.

05:10 – Vance accuses critics of the US peace plan of lacking a grasp of reality

Vice President JD Vance defended the US government’s peace plan to end the war in Ukraine and accused critics of a lack of realism. Anyone who criticizes the peace solutions being pursued has either misunderstood them or is denying the true situation, Vance wrote in a post on the online platform X.

“There is a fantasy that if we provide more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, then victory will be achieved,” the Republican wrote. He added: “Peace cannot be achieved by failed diplomats or politicians living in a fantasy world. Peace can be achieved by intelligent people living in the real world.”

A peace plan for the Ukraine-Russia war must meet three criteria, Vance wrote. First, he must “stop the killings and safeguard Ukraine’s sovereignty.” Second, “acceptable to Russia and Ukraine.” And third, “maximizing the likelihood that war will never happen again.” Critics believe that some of the above points are not addressed in the US government’s peace proposal.

Friday, November 21:

10:10 p.m. – Trump: Zelensky must approve US peace plan

From US President Trump’s point of view, Zelensky has no choice but to accept his peace plan. Time is short to do this, given the need to end the bloodshed and the approach of winter, Trump told reporters. “We have a way to reconcile, or we think we have a way to reconcile. He has to agree to it.” If Zelensky doesn’t want this, he should keep fighting. “At some point, he’s going to have to accept something he’s never accepted before.”

Trump also referred to the Zelensky scandal at the White House in February: “You remember, right in the Oval Office, not long ago, I said: ‘You don’t have any cards in your hand.'” At that time there was a public exchange of blows between the two presidents. He believes Zelensky should have agreed to the agreement a year or two ago. “The best solution would be if this never started.”

19:39 – Merz talks to Trump about US peace plan

Chancellor Friedrich Merz called US President Donald Trump to discuss the US peace plan for Ukraine. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said afterwards that the talks were “credible and binding” and “next steps” of coordination at the advisory level had been agreed.

17:32 – Trump gives Zelenskyy a Thursday deadline to respond

US President Donald Trump has given Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky until next Thursday to respond to Washington’s plans to end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The deadline to finalize the terms of a possible agreement could be extended, Trump said on Fox News Radio. “I have a lot of deadlines, but when things are going well, you tend to extend them,” the Republican said. “But Thursday is important,” he emphasized.

14:06 – “The scope for decision-making is shrinking for him” – Moscow threatens Zelensky

Russia threatens Zelensky with losing more territory in Ukraine if Zelensky is not willing to negotiate the latest US peace plan. “The effective work of the Russian armed forces should convince Zelensky: It is better to negotiate now and not later,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“The space for making free decisions is shrinking for him (Zelenskyj) because his territory is being lost due to attacks by the Russian army,” said Peskov. However, Moscow has not officially received the US draft plan.

13:57 – Zelensky: “We are working on the document prepared by the American side”

After a phone call with Merz and other European countries, Ukrainian President Zelensky said: “We are working on a document prepared by the American side. This should be a plan that guarantees real and dignified peace.”

12:29 p.m. – Brantner: The new plan for Ukraine is a “conquest plan”

Green Party leader Franziska Brantner warned against making too broad concessions to Russia in its bid to end its war of aggression against Ukraine. The proposal from Washington currently under discussion “is not a peace plan, it is a conquest plan dictated by Putin,” Brantner told the dpa news agency. Anyone who believes that this can bring peace is “understanding reality.” Brantner demands that Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European partners clearly support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in talks with US President Donald Trump

11:20 – Phone call about peace plan – Merz cancels his elementary school appointment on short notice

Chancellor Friedrich Merz cancels an appointment at a Berlin elementary school due to developments in the Ukrainian war. Government officials said that because of internal discussions and planned telephone calls regarding the situation in Ukraine, he had asked the Head of the Chancellery, Thorsten Frei, to attend the inauguration in his place. The Federal Government, if necessary, will report the phone call afterwards – in consultation with the interlocutor. According to “Bild”, talks with US President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky are still pending.

Merz was supposed to read to children at Robert Reinick Elementary School in Berlin the morning of national reading day.

09:39 – EU names conditions for Ukraine peace plan

The European Union provides its support for the peace plan in Ukraine with conditions. Such a plan must bring lasting and just peace and involve Ukraine and the EU, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in Brussels. Any plan can only succeed if Ukraine and European countries agree, he explained, referring to a US proposal submitted to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

08:00 – Russia: No information yet on Ukraine’s willingness to talk

Russia has not been informed that Ukraine is ready for talks under the plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. The presidential office in Moscow said this, Russian state news agency RIA reported.

07:05 – Ukraine accepts US peace plan – Zelensky responds with video message

Ukraine says it has accepted a draft US peace plan that includes broad concessions from the government in Kiev. President Volodymyr Zelensky expected talks with his US counterpart Donald Trump in the coming days, Zelensky’s office said.

In a video message, Zelensky reported a meeting with a high-level US delegation and said there were “serious discussions”. It was clear that this war could only be ended with the support of the United States. Ukraine does not want to lose this. “The Americans put forward the points of a plan to end the war – their vision. I outlined our main principles,” Zelensky concluded.

Thursday, November 20:

21:18 – “Stick to our war aims,” Putin says during a visit to the military

Putin reaffirmed his adherence to Moscow’s war aims. “We have common tasks, our goals. The most important thing is the unconditional achievement of the goals of the special military operation and the fulfillment of the tasks assigned to us by our homeland and the Russian people,” Putin said during a visit to the military, according to the Kremlin. “The Russian people hope in us, hope in you, and hope for the results our country needs.”

A video released by the Kremlin shows Putin wearing a camouflage uniform. He himself stated that, as far as he knows, 15 Ukrainian battalions were surrounded near the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region. There is no evidence for this claim.

Putin denies the legitimacy of President Zelensky. A “criminal gang” has been in power illegally in Kiev since the end of the presidential election term in 2024. “These people sit on their golden toilets and hardly think about the fate of their country, the fate of their compatriots,” he said, referring to a major corruption scandal in Ukraine.