Ukraine Reportedly Accepts Core Terms of President Trump’s Peace Framework With Russia
Diplomatic momentum continues to build around President Donald J. Trump’s peace initiative, as Ukraine has now agreed to Washington’s proposal in principle — signaling what may become the most significant diplomatic breakthrough in Europe since the fall of the Soviet Union.
A U.S. official told CBS News on Tuesday that Ukraine has accepted the deal with only “minor details” left unresolved. Rustem Umerov, a senior Ukrainian national security adviser, appeared to validate the report by posting on X that Kyiv had reached an understanding on the “core terms” of the American proposal during recent negotiations in Geneva.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to travel to the White House later this month to formally finalize the agreement.
Parallel Negotiations in Abu Dhabi
While negotiations between the U.S. and Ukraine advanced in Switzerland, a separate channel was activated in Abu Dhabi. Reuters and the Financial Times reported that the United States and Russia held undisclosed discussions on Monday as the Trump administration pressed to sustain momentum behind its broader peace blueprint. Newsweek noted that the meetings are expected to continue on Tuesday.
U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is leading the delegation meeting with Russian officials, while Kyrylo Budanov — the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate (GUR) — is also present in Abu Dhabi, according to the Financial Times. The gathering underscores that Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv are now negotiating concurrently rather than talking past each other — a dynamic that had not materialized under the prior Biden administration.
The Deal Taking Shape
The original U.S. framework consisted of 28 points and was initially well received by Moscow. However, following U.S.–Ukraine negotiations in Geneva, the proposal was revised to reflect Ukrainian concerns that the original draft leaned too heavily toward Russian preferences. The current working document reportedly includes 19 points — a structure that diplomats believe could prove acceptable to all sides.
A surge in frontline violence parallels the diplomatic sprint. Ukrainian authorities reported intense overnight Russian bombardments involving 460 drones and 22 missiles, killing and injuring civilians — including in Kyiv. Russia, in turn, claimed that a Ukrainian drone attack caused civilian casualties inside its own territory.
Romania, a NATO state, confirmed that two Russian drones violated its airspace during Moscow’s most recent aerial assault, prompting the deployment of fighter jets.
Europe Tries to Shape the Outcome
Many European capitals reacted coolly to the first American plan, reportedly upset that the Trump administration — not Brussels — led the direction of the peace process. EU governments drafted their own counter-proposal, insisting that no framework affecting the bloc or NATO could be approved without unanimous consent of member states. Russia rejected the European draft outright as unacceptable, Newsweek reported.
For now, the U.S. plan — not the European version — is the one under serious negotiation.
Russia Signals Openness
The Kremlin acknowledged that Washington’s proposal has been revised but stated it has not yet reviewed the latest version produced in Geneva. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for President Vladimir Putin, said the original U.S. draft remained “a very good basis for negotiations.”
President Donald Trump has set a target timeline for the deal, aiming for a completed framework by Thanksgiving. On Truth Social he wrote: “Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine??? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening.”
Putin, who met with President Trump in Alaska in August, has praised what he called Washington’s “energetic” efforts to secure a resolution. He has suggested the peace process could evolve into wider strategic agreements — including potential nuclear arms limitations.
Putin briefed senior Russian officials on the negotiations and told them CNN’s coverage of the developments was accurate, stating: “The current American administration… is making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict.”
He added that the summit with the United States aimed to “create long-term conditions for peace between our countries, as well as in Europe, and in the world as a whole.”
He further suggested that broader global security could be achieved if the two countries, in the “next stages,” “reach agreements in the area of control over strategic offensive weapons.”