“By Christmas”: Trump gave Zelensky only a few days to respond to the U.S. peace proposal – FT

U.S. President Donald Trump and his negotiators are pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to give a quick response to Washington’s peace plan in order to reach an agreement with Russia “by Christmas.”

This is reported by The Financial Times.

The outlet notes that Zelensky told his European colleagues that during a two-hour phone call on Saturday, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the U.S. president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner strongly urged him to make a rapid decision. A source familiar with the timeline proposed to Kyiv said that Trump hopes to have a deal “by Christmas” (that is, by 25 December).

According to officials, Zelensky told U.S. representatives that he needs time to consult with other European allies before responding to Washington’s proposal.

One Western official said the Ukrainian side is stuck between territorial demands it cannot accept and U.S. demands it cannot reject.

Recall that, according to media reports, Washington is pressuring the Ukrainian president to agree to withdraw troops from Donetsk region, but Zelensky is rejecting this.