Russia-Ukraine Live Updates: Trump Teases ‘Big Progress’ on Truth Social

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took a tough line on President Donald Trump's initial 28-point draft plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine in a new interview with Germany's DW during his visit to South Africa for the G20 summit.

Merz called one element of Trump's draft plan "unthinkable" and the Thanksgiving deadline for a decision "not achievable".

"I had a call with President Trump before I left the country. I told him that we could agree on some of them, but there are others we could not agree, and I told him that we are fully in line with Ukraine, that the sovereignty of this country must not be jeopardized," Merz said.

He added: "At the very end of the day, the sovereignty of Ukraine may not be questioned."

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a EU meeting at the European Union (EU) - African Union (AU) summit in Luanda, Angola, on November 24, 202...Read More | Michael Kappeler / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

Of Trump's Thanksgiving deadline, Merz told DW: "I think that it's not achievable to have all the 28 points agreed."

"We are trying to figure out which part of this plan could be achieved unanimously between the Europeans, the Americans and Ukraine on the one side, and the Russians on the other side," Merz said.

"This is extremely complicated… we are now trying to implement an intermediate step until Thursday. And I know that President Trump is really interested in having at least an intermediary result by Thursday."

Under the initial Trump plan, around $100 billion of the frozen Russian assets—much of them in Europe—would be invested in the U.S.-led efforts to rebuild Ukraine. The U.S. would then receive 50 percent of the profits.

The remaining frozen assets would be given to a U.S.-Russian "investment vehicle that will implement joint projects in specific areas," the draft said.

But Merz told DW: "The Russian assets, which are based in Brussels, cannot be paid out to the Americans. That is unthinkable. So if this plan comes into reality, the support of the Europeans is definitely needed."

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on the South Lawn of the White House on November 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. | John McDonnell/Getty Images

President Donald Trump, off the back of a weekend of progress on his draft peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war, raised hopes in a new post on Truth Social early Monday morning.

"Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine???" Trump wrote.

"Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

There are no publicly known direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks at this time. But the U.S. has consulted with both sides on an evolving framework for a peace agreement.

Russian presidential press spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin had not yet received the updated framework that emerged from the Geneva talks between the U.S. and Ukraine over the weekend. Russia had reacted positively to an earlier draft of the 28-point plan from U.S. President Donald Trump, but European allies and Kyiv were deeply unhappy with it.

"So far, we have not officially received anything," Peskov said on Monday at a press briefing, state-run news agency TASS reported, originally in Russian. "We have already said that conducting discussions through the media is impossible and inappropriate. We do not want to do that."

He continued: "We have read the statements following the discussions that took place in Geneva. We will wait; apparently the dialogue continues. Some contacts will continue...Of course, we are closely monitoring the media reports that have been coming abundantly from Geneva over the past few days, among others, but officially we have not received anything yet."

Peskov also said there are not yet any concrete plans for U.S.-Russia plans this week.

Russia certainly has a battlefield advantage because it is a far larger military power than Ukraine, with deeper domestic resources across weaponry and manpower. But there is little more than a stalemate in eastern Ukraine, with Russia making small advances against a fierce defense by Kyiv's Western-supplied forces.

Ukraine is also imposing a cost on the Russian oil sector with regular strikes on key pieces of infrastructure at the heart of Moscow's war economy.

There is little prospect of Ukraine winning the war against Russia without direct Western intervention, which is very unlikely to happen short of Moscow launching war on NATO too.

Yet Russia's path to victory is also long and uncertain, analysts say. The D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said in its latest assessment that Russian forces are "unlikely to seize without several years of campaigning" all the territory in Donetsk Oblast alone.

"The Kremlin has been doubling down on the false narrative that Russian battlefield successes are so widespread that a Russian victory is inevitable," the ISW said. "ISW continues to assess that a Russian victory is not inevitable and that the 'realities on the ground' show that Russia faces many obstacles in its path to seizing the rest of Donetsk Oblast."

Ukraine's defense relies on the continuing support of Western partners through supplies of military aid, training, and intelligence sharing. The U.S. is vital to this, but the Trump administration could pull its support, as it has threatened before, if it sees no realistic path to peace, which would increase the likelihood of an eventual Russian victory if the war continues.

But it is important to keep in mind what Russian President Vladimir Putin set out to do originally in February 2022: Conquer the whole of Ukraine and topple the government in Kyiv within days. That original mission failed, and Russia has paid a heavy price to wage a years-long war that has seen hundreds of thousands of casualties, caused deep pain to its economy, and isolated it from most of the West.

This map by Newsweek's John Feng shows the areas of eastern Ukraine currently under the control of Russian forces, including swathes of the Donbas region, Kyiv's industrial heartlands.

Ukraine's forces still control the two fortress cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk in the Donbas. Russia is demanding that Ukraine cede these two cities—of major strategic significance to Ukraine's defense—along with the rest of Donbas to Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the coordination taking place between Kyiv and its European partners, who have expressed frustration and surprise over the initial draft of Trump's peace plan, which they were not involved in developing and which crossed a number of red lines for them on European security in particular.

The Europeans released a 28-point counter-proposal to Trump's plan over the weekend.

Zelensky spoke with Finland's President Alexander Stubb this morning. Finland is a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO. Stubb welcomed the progress on peace talks, but warned of "major issues" that still needed to be resolved, and said that any elements involving the EU or NATO needed to be discussed by members of each "in a separate track."

"Thank you for your support," Zelensky said in a post on X, replying directly to Stubb.

"Right now, it is crucial that every joint action with our partners is [thoroughly] thought out. All decisions must be doable in order to ensure lasting peace and guaranteed security. We are coordinating very well and I appreciate the advice and perspectives we are sharing. Together, we will certainly safeguard our shared interests and our people."

Stubb had said originally: "I welcome the progress made at yesterday’s meetings between US and Ukraine in Geneva. The negotiations were a step forward, but there are still major issues which remain to be resolved. Any decision falling in the remit of EU or NATO will be discussed and decided by EU and NATO members in a separate track."

The U.S. and Ukraine issued a joint statement after their successful talks in Geneva on Trump's draft 28-point plan to address some of Kyiv's concerns. The statement, which made a point to emphasize Ukraine's gratitude to Trump after his pointed criticism of Zelensky on Sunday, said:

"On 23 November 2025, representatives of the United States and Ukraine met in Geneva for discussions on the U.S. peace proposal. The talks were constructive, focused, and respectful, underscoring the shared commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace.

"Both sides agreed the consultations were highly productive. The discussions showed meaningful progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps. They reaffirmed that any future agreement must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and deliver a sustainable and just peace.

"As a result of the discussions, the parties drafted an updated and refined peace framework.

"The Ukrainian delegation reaffirmed its gratitude for the steadfast commitment of the United States and, personally, President Donald J. Trump for their tireless efforts aimed at ending the war and the loss of life.

"Ukraine and the United States agreed to continue intensive work on joint proposals in the coming days. They will also remain in close contact with their European partners as the process advances.

"Final decisions under this framework will be made by the Presidents of Ukraine and the United States.

"Both sides reiterated their readiness to continue working together to secure a peace that ensures Ukraine’s security, stability, and reconstruction."