Merz doubts US peace plan will meet Trump's Thanksgiving deadline
Photo: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said it is unlikely that the US peace plan will be signed by the November 27 deadline set by President Donald Trump, when the United States celebrates Thanksgiving, The Guardian reports.
Merz noted that today is November 23, while Trump demands the peace agreement be signed by November 27. In reality, the process is still far from completion.
"That doesn't mean it’s completely impossible to reach... But I'm sceptical whether such an outcome is possible given the current differences," he said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Trump set November 27 as the deadline for agreeing on the peace plan and threatened to halt weapons and intelligence support to Ukraine. Following strong pushback from the EU and the US Congress, he acknowledged that the proposal is not final.
In response to Trump's plan, which has been compared to a demand for Ukraine's capitulation, EU leaders drafted their own proposals. These do not impose restrictions on the Armed Forces and restore Ukrainian control over strategic resources and facilities. Ukraine and its European allies also seek US security guarantees consistent with NATO's Article 5 on collective defense.
On November 23 in Geneva, representatives from the US, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are discussing the peace plan. Media reports indicate that if negotiations proceed smoothly, the final version will be agreed upon directly at a meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump.
