A furious Donald Trump has today accused Ukraine of showing ‘zero gratitude’ over his peace plan to end the war with Russia.
The US President called the conflict ‘a loser for everyone’ and said that he had ‘inherited a war that should have never happened’.
Trump’s 28-point plan to end Moscow’s nearly four-year invasion has been heavily criticised by several senators as being a ‘Russian wish list’, with it including demands that Ukraine hand over territory and drastically reduce the size of its armed forces.
It has led to Washington having to deny claims Russia had authored the controversial deal, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier insisting that the plan for Ukraine was ‘authored by the US’.
Trump, writing in capital letters on his Truth Social platform, also appeared to take a swipe at Volodymyr Zelensky, saying the war would ‘never have happened’ if there was ‘strong and proper US and Ukrainian leadership’.
He said: ‘I inherited a war that should have never happened, a war that is a loser for everyone, especially the millions of people that have so needlessly died.
‘Ukraine “leadership” has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts, and Europe continues to buy oil from Russia.’
His statement came as top officials from the United States, Ukraine, and national security advisers from France, Britain and Germany held talks in Geneva to discuss the draft plan.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said his delegation was ‘focused on finding doable solutions’.
Sir Keir Starmer held talks with President Trump today where the two leaders discussed the peace deal.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: ‘The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the United States Donald Trump today.
‘The leaders discussed various aspects of the high level discussions taking place in Geneva today on the US peace plan for Ukraine. They agreed that we all must work together at this critical moment to bring about a just and lasting peace.
‘They agreed to keep in touch.’
Just minutes after Trump unleashed his tirade, top Kyiv security official Rustem Umerov declared that Ukraine ‘appreciates our American partners’.
Writing on X, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council said: ‘Our current proposals while still not finalised include many Ukrainian priorities. We appreciate our American partners working closely with us to understand our concerns to reach this critical point and we expect to make more progress today.’
Ursula von der Leyen had earlier warned that Ukraine’s borders cannot be changed by force.
The European Commission President said any deal with Vladimir Putin’s Russia should not be ‘sowing the seeds for a future conflict’.
‘Any credible and sustainable peace plan should first and foremost stop the killing and end the war, while not sowing the seeds for a future conflict,’ Ms von der Leyen said.
‘We have agreed on the main elements necessary for a just and lasting peace and Ukraine’s sovereignty. Let me highlight three of them.
‘First, borders cannot be changed by force.
‘Second, as a sovereign nation there cannot be limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attack and thereby also undermining European security.
‘Third, the centrality of the European Union in securing peace for Ukraine must be fully reflected. Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny.’
The Ukrainian delegation today held their first meeting with Britain’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell and his French and German counterparts.
US, Ukrainian and European counterparts are meeting in Geneva, with special envoy Steve Witkoff, army secretary Dan Driscoll and US secretary of state Mr Rubio expected to represent Washington.
Mr Zelensky posted on X: ‘The Ukrainian and American teams, as well as the teams of our European partners, are in close contact, and I do hope that there will be a result.
‘The bloodshed must be stopped, and we must ensure that the war is never reignited.’
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that the deal ‘requires some additional work’.
‘We have been clear that there are elements of the peace plan that he has proposed that are essential for a just and lasting peace,’ she said.
Ms Alexander said allies of Ukraine need to ‘find a way to secure that ceasefire and open up space for meaningful negotiations’.
Mr Rubio earlier insisted that the controversial peace plan for Ukraine was ‘authored by the US’.
He doubled down on US ownership of the plan, pushing back against claims from several senators that it amounted to a ‘Russian wish list’.
‘It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine,’ Rubio said.
Trump declared the proposal was ‘by far’ not the ‘final offer’ as Western leaders scrambled to coordinate a response during frantic G20 summit diplomacy in South Africa.
The plan, drawn up by the Trump administration and the Kremlin, has alarmed European governments after it emerged Ukraine was being pushed to accept terms that mirror long-standing demands from Moscow.
In a joint statement on Saturday, European and other Western leaders cautiously acknowledged that the document could serve as a possible basis for ending the war but stressed that it would require ‘additional work’.
Washington has strongly denied accusations that it echoes Russian objectives.
Ahead of the gathering, Zelensky issued a video address insisting that Ukraine’s negotiators ‘know how to protect Ukrainian national interests and exactly what is needed to prevent Russia from carrying out’ another invasion.
‘Real peace is always based on security and justice,’ he said.
The 28-point blueprint closely mirrors positions repeatedly put forward by the Kremlin over nearly four years of full-scale war, including demands that Ukraine hand over territory and drastically reduce the size of its armed forces.
Trump has insisted Kyiv respond by Thursday, though he hinted an extension may be possible.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, he dismissed suggestions the proposal was final.
He said: ‘We’d like to get the peace, it should’ve happened a long time ago. The Ukraine war with Russia should’ve never happened. If I was president, it would have never happened. We’re trying to get it ended. One way or another, we have to get it ended.’
Leaders across Europe have been trying to strike a careful balance — praising Trump’s efforts to end the war while acknowledging that key parts of the plan are unacceptable to Kyiv.
‘There are many things that cannot simply be an American proposal, which requires broader consultation,’ Emmanuel Macron warned on the sidelines of the G20, saying any deal must deliver peace for Ukrainians and ‘security for all Europeans’.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the stakes for Europe, warning of the wider fallout should Kyiv be forced into defeat.
‘If Ukraine loses this war and possibly collapses, it will have an impact on European politics as a whole, on the entire European continent. And that is why we are so committed to this issue,’ he said.
‘There is currently an opportunity to end this war, but we are still quite a long way from a good outcome for everyone.’
Keir Starmer, speaking in Johannesburg, voiced particular concern over proposed limits on Ukraine’s armed forces.
‘We are concerned about [caps on military], because it’s fundamental that Ukraine has to be able to defend itself if there’s a ceasefire.’
He said the plan ‘requires additional work’, adding: ‘And that’s why there’s been the agreement that in Geneva tomorrow [Sunday], you’ll have senior US personnel, you’ll have European NSAs [national security advisers], including the UK NSA, and obviously Ukrainians there to work further on the draft.’
Starmer has spoken directly with Trump about the matter and is expected to speak with him again on Sunday, Downing Street said.
It comes as residents in Moscow were hit with power blackouts and heating disruption for the first time today after a Ukrainian strike.
A dramatic swarm of drones exploded the Lenin Shatura thermal plant – mostly fired by gas – as temperatures dipped below freezing point.
‘A fire broke out at the facility,’ admitted regional governor Andrey Vorobyov, referring to the Shatura strike.
He admitted emergency workers scrambled to bring in ‘backup’ power and heating supplies after the damage to the power plant, east of Moscow.
Pro-Kremlin media outlet Readovka and others admitted that power and heating disruptions were felt by residents – a rare event near the Russian capital but regular for Ukrainians after constant strikes by Putin’s forces.
Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin admitted the capital was under attack by Ukrainian drones with at least three shot down.
