Trump blasts Ukraine for ‘zero gratitude’ as Germany says deal to end war unlikely to be reached by Thursday deadline – as it happened

3.45pm GMT
Closing summary

US President Donald Trump accused Ukraine’s leadership of having “zero gratitude” for US efforts to end the war as talks were underway in Geneva between delegations from the US, Ukraine, and some of its European allies.
His comments came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there was now an understanding that the 28-point US-proposed plan could take into account Ukraine’s national interests (revisions are expected to be made to the provisions after negotiations).
The plan, details of which have been leaked, has widely been seen to favour Russia as it endorses some of Moscow’s key maximalist positions.
There is particular concern in European capitals about provisions that Ukraine agree to not join Nato and also limit the size of its armed forces.
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, asked where Trump’s “peace plan” came from, after reports suggested an apparent admission by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, that the text was originally drafted by Moscow.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he is “sceptical” the deal can be reached by Trump’s Thursday deadline, which may be extended after the US president said it was not his “final offer”. Merz rejected the provision in the plan that says Russia would rejoin the G8.
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said Ukraine’s borders could not be changed by force. A limit on the country’s armed forces would leave it “vulnerable to future attack”, she said.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said he would have a phone call with Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss efforts to bring about an end to the war and said he will ask the Russian president to restart a deal for the safe passage of grains via the Black Sea.
The Russian defence ministry said this morning that Russian troops captured three villages across two regions of Ukraine: the villages of Tykhe and Odradne in the Dnipropetrovsk region and Petrivske in the Donetsk region.

Thanks for following along today. We are now closing this blog. You can read a wrap-up of today’s events in this story.

Updated at 3.52pm GMT

3.07pm GMT

Shortly after Donald Trump accused Ukraine’s leadership of apparently not showing enough gratitude, former Ukrainian defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov said he expects his country’s delegation in Geneva to make progress today on the deal.
Umerov, who is among the representatives from Ukraine in Switzerland for talks today, wrote on X this afternoon:

Our current proposals while still not finalized 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.

Updated at 3.21pm GMT

2.36pm GMT
Trump says Ukraine's 'leadership' has expressed 'zero gratitude'

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president Donald Trump said the Ukrainian “leadership” has “expressed zero gratitude” for US efforts to bring an end to Russia’s war.
He wrote:

I inherited a war that should never have 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.
The USA continues to sell massive $amounts of weapons to Nato, for distribution to Ukraine (crooked Joe gave everything, free, free, free, including “big” money!). God bless all the lives that have been lost in the human catastrophe!

Trump repeated his claim that the war would never have happened if he was president in 2022, instead of Joe Biden, whom he accuses of being a weak leader.

Updated at 2.47pm GMT

2.32pm GMT
US plan may now take into account Ukraine's interests, Zelenskyy says

In a new post on X, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there is now an understanding that the US plan to end the war could take into account Ukraine’s national interests, after the proposals were criticised as being too favourable to Moscow.
The Ukrainian president wrote:

There is an understanding that the American proposals may include a number of elements based on Ukrainian perspectives and critical for Ukrainian national interests.
Further work is ongoing to make all elements truly effective in achieving the main goal anticipated by our people: to finally put an end to the bloodshed and war.

2.26pm GMT
Germany 'sceptical' a deal to end war in Ukraine can be reached by Thursday

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he is “sceptical” a deal on Ukraine can be reached by Donald Trump’s Thursday deadline.
“I remain, I don’t want to say pessimistic, but I am not yet convinced that the solutions desired by President Trump will be achieved in the course of the next few days,” Merz said at the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
“President Trump’s plan is to reach a conclusion on Thursday, but we are still a long way from that... I am sceptical as to whether such an outcome is possible given the current differences,” he added.
Merz said it was important to establish “what security guarantees can be given to really secure a possible agreement with Russia”.
He also rejected the provision in the 28-point plan that says Russia would rejoin the G8.
As a reminder, under the proposed deal, which European allies are seeking some changes over, Russia would be “reintegrated into the global economy” after nearly four years of tough sanctions and be allowed back into the G8.
Trump rowed back on his Thursday deadline over the weekend, saying the draft plan is not his “final offer” for Kyiv after concerns over border changes and limits on Ukraine’s armed forces were raised by the country’s allies.

1.47pm GMT

Trump’s former ‘drone guy’ Dan Driscoll is the unlikely point man for the Ukraine peace deal, writes Robert Tait in Washington.
Read here:

Related: Trump’s former ‘drone guy’ Dan Driscoll is the unlikely point man for the Ukraine peace deal

1.38pm GMT

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday and told him that Ukraine was focused on working “as constructively as possible” on the steps proposed by the United States to end war with Russia.
“We are working to ensure that the path toward ending the war is real and that the principled elements are put into action,” Zelenskiy said on X, explaining the Ukrainian position on talks in Geneva.

Updated at 2.10pm GMT

1.20pm GMT

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that he is not convinced that a solution agreeable to Ukraine based on the United States’ 28-point plan will be found by the deadline set by President Donald Trump.
“Today is Sunday. President Trump’s plan is to reach an agreement on Thursday. We are still very far from that. That doesn’t mean it’s completely impossible to reach... But I’m sceptical whether such an outcome is possible given the current differences,” said Merz on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
While Trump has given Ukraine until Thursday to agree to the 28-point plan, he has said that it doesn’t represent a “final offer”, and deadlines could be extended if things were “going well”.

12.58pm GMT
Ukraine's borders cannot be changed by force, European Commission president says

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said in a fresh statement that Ukraine’s borders cannot be changed by force and that there should be no cap on the country’s armed forces that would leave it “vulnerable to future attack”.
“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,” she said in a statement.
“Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny.”
The plan should also involve the country’s reconstruction, integration into the EU’s single market and eventually full membership in the bloc, von der Leyen said, adding that the “centrality” of the EU’s role must be “fully reflected” in any plan for Ukraine, amid fears that Europe has been largely sidelined from the process so far.

Updated at 3.35pm GMT

12.52pm GMT
Erdoğan says he will speak to Putin on the phone on Monday

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said he would have a phone call with Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss efforts to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, the Turkish leader, who has positioned himself as a mediator in the war, added that he would also ask the Russian president to restart a deal for the safe passage of grains via the Black Sea, according to Reuters.
“So many people have died; I will discuss with (Putin) what steps we can take to stop these deaths. After these discussions, I believe I will have the opportunity to discuss the outcome with our European partners, Mr. Trump, and other friends,” he said.
The Black Sea grain initiative was negotiated in July 2022 between Turkey, the UN and Russia as a way of ensuring that Ukraine could ensure that its grain could leave its southern ports via the Bosphorus.
The deal was designed to alleviate a food crisis sparked by a Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports that had frozen millions of tonnes of grain exports around the world.
Moscow pulled out of the deal in 2023 over what it said was the west’s failure to keep its side of the bargain covering Russian food and fertiliser exports.

Updated at 2.10pm GMT

12.32pm GMT

In an updated death toll, Ukrainian officials said 34 people (not 33) were killed in last week’s Russian attack on the western city of Ternopil, the deadliest Russian missile strike on civilians so far this year (see post at 10.12 for more details).

12.05pm GMT
Zelenskyy hopes for a 'positive result' from Geneva talks to help 'stop the bloodshed'

We can bring you a fresh statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a post to Telegram, he said, in reference to the Geneva talks, that it was good that “diplomacy has been activated” and said he hopes for “constructive” dialogue.
The Ukrainian leader added:

The Ukrainian and American teams, the teams of our European partners, are in close contact, and I really hope that there will be a result.
We need to stop the bloodshed and ensure that the war is not ignited again. I look forward to the results of today’s talks, and I hope that all participants will be constructive. We need a positive result for all of us.

Updated at 12.05pm GMT

11.43am GMT
Ukrainian delegation has held talks with European officials in Geneva - presidential office

The Ukrainian delegation has held talks with European security officials in Geneva, according to the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, Andriy Yermak.
“Overall, a series of meetings in various formats is planned for today. We continue working together to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine,” Yermak wrote in a post on X. “The next meeting is with the US delegation. We are in a very constructive mood.”
Speaking before Sunday’s talks, Alice Rufo, France’s minister delegate at the defence ministry, told broadcaster France Info that key points of discussion would include the plan’s restrictions on the Ukrainian army (the size of the armed forces would be capped at 600,000 people) which she described as “a limitation on its sovereignty”. “Ukraine must be able to defend itself,” she said.

Updated at 12.00pm GMT

11.34am GMT
Russian forces take control of three villages in Ukraine, defence ministry says

Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukrainian territory and is continuing to make incremental gains on the battlefield.
The Russian defence ministry said this morning that Russian troops captured three villages across two regions of Ukraine: the villages of Tykhe and Odradne in the Dnipropetrovsk region and Petrivske in the Donetsk region.
We have not yet been able to independently verify these claims.

11.13am GMT
Polish PM says it would be 'good to know' who wrote the plan to end war in Ukraine

There have been lots of conflicting reports about who wrote the 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine, which is widely seen to favour Russia as it endorses some of Moscow’s key maximalist positions.
A group of US senators say they were told by Marco Rubio that the plan is in fact not an American proposal and did not reflect Washington’s official position, claims heavily disputed by the US state department.
The senators claim that the secretary of state told them it was a Russian plan leaked by a representative from Moscow that the US had agreed to pass along to Ukraine to consider and then respond to.
“Secretary Rubio made a phone call to us this afternoon. I think he made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives. It is not our recommendation, it is not our peace plan. It is a proposal that was received,” Republican senator Mike Rounds, who sits on the Senate intelligence committee, was quoted as having said on Saturday.
“As an intermediary, we have made arrangements to share it. And we did not release it,” he added.
Independent Maine Senator Angus King said Rubio told them the plan “was not the administration’s plan” but more akin to a “wish list of the Russians”.
Following the comments, Rubio hit back by saying: “The peace proposal was authored by the US. It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”
Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, added to the speculation this morning, saying in a post on X that “it would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where it was created” before work begins on discussing its provisions.

Updated at 12.23pm GMT

10.43am GMT

Amid the diplomatic flurry, the war continues. According to Russian Telegram media channels, Ukraine struck a heat and power station in the Moscow region on Sunday with drones, triggering a major fire and cutting off heating for thousands of people.
Ukrainian drones struck the Shatura Power Station about 120 km (75 miles) east of the Kremlin, Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov said.
“Some of the drones were destroyed by air-defence forces. Several fell on the territory of the station. A fire broke out at the facility,” Vorobyov said, adding that efforts are underway to restore heat supply for the affected population. We have not been able to independently verify any of this information yet.
No information was immediately available on how much damage was caused from the reported attack or whether or not there were any casualties from it.

Updated at 11.16am GMT

10.25am GMT
Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff arrive in Geneva as Europe races to influence deal

The US secretary of state Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff have arrived in Geneva for talks to discuss Washington’s draft plan to end the war, the Reuters news agency has just quoted an American official as having said.
As a reminder, France, the UK and Germany will have national security advisers at the Geneva talks, and the Ukrainian delegation will be represented by Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s head of office Andriy Yermak, among others.
British prime minister Keir Starmer said his national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, would be in Geneva. Italian diplomatic sources told the AFP news agency that Rome was sending national security advisor Fabrizio Saggio.

Updated at 10.46am GMT

10.12am GMT
Zelenskyy says 'we must do everything' to strengthen defence against 'wicked Russian attacks'

Ahead of the talks in Geneva, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post this morning that Russia has continued to attack residential buildings, civilian infrastructure and energy facilities across Ukraine over the past week, launching over 1,050 drones and nearly 1,000 glide bombs.
Announcing the end of a search and rescue mission, he said six children were among 33 people killed in a Russian attack on blocks of flats in the western city of Ternopil last week.
Zelenskyy added in his post on X that six people are still missing after the deadly airstrike, which was one of the deadliest in the region since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. He also listed other Russian attacks, including in Dnipro and Nikopol.
Zelenskyy wrote:

Already today, our advisors will be working in Switzerland with representatives of the United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. But in parallel with the diplomatic track, we must do everything to strengthen our defense against such wicked Russian attacks.
It is extremely important to speed up the implementation of all our agreements with partners regarding air defense systems and missiles for them. I thank everyone who helps protect lives. I thank everyone who works for peace.

Updated at 12.32pm GMT

9.44am GMT

In a joint statement issued at the G20 summit in South Africa yesterday, a number of Ukraine’s western allies said the draft proposal “would leave Ukraine vulnerable to attack” if left unchanged.
In a joint statement they said the draft “includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace”, but it is “a basis which will require additional work”. They were clear that “borders must not be changed by force”.
The statement was signed by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Norway, and of the EU, as well as the prime ministers of Canada and Japan (you can read more about the summit here).
The US did not send a delegation to the summit in Johannesburg, with Donald Trump saying he was boycotting it after accusing the South African government of allegedly allowing minority white Afrikaner farmers to be persecuted and attacked, a claim the country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has strongly denied.

Updated at 9.46am GMT

9.30am GMT

The plan, which endorsed some of Russia’s key demands, emerged after Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev reportedly spent three days with his American counterpart Steve Witkoff in Miami.
Dmitriev is a key Putin ally and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, one of Russia’s largest sovereign wealth funds.
Witkoff and US secretary of state Marco Rubio had been “quietly” working on the plan with both Russia and Ukraine for around a month, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday. Rubio says the plan was “authored by the US”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the plan as the basis of a resolution to the war, but added that Moscow may object to some proposals.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been careful not to publicly criticise or reject the plan as he is reliant on the US for weapons and intelligence sharing. However, Zelenskyy has said Kyiv is being put under unbearable pressure.
In a sombre 10-minute speech outside his presidential palace on Friday, the Ukrainian leader said his country had an impossible choice: keep its national dignity or risk losing a major partner in the US.
It came amid claims that Kyiv was frozen out of the drafting of the Trump proposals that are demanding huge concessions from Ukraine.

Updated at 9.49am GMT

9.19am GMT
What is contained within the draft plan to end the war in Ukraine?

Here is a bit more detail on what is contained within the draft US-Russia plan:
- Territory: “Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk will be recognised as de facto Russian, including by the United States,” the plan reads. Kyiv still partly holds Luhansk and Donetsk, which together make up the Donbas industrial belt on the frontline of the war. Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Areas from which Ukraine has withdrawn in Donetsk would be deemed a demilitarised zone which Russian forces will not enter, according to the plan.
The southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – which Russia falsely claims to have annexed – will be “frozen along the line of contact,” it said.
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- Security: The plan calls for Ukraine to reduce its army to 600,000 personnel, a reduction of hundreds of thousands compared to its current size.
Nato would agree not to station troops in Ukraine – dashing Kyiv’s hopes for a European peacekeeping force – and the country would be barred from joining Nato.
- Diplomacy: Under the proposed deal, Russia would be “reintegrated into the global economy” after nearly four years of tough sanctions and be allowed back into the G8.
“It is expected that Russia will not invade neighbouring countries and Nato will not expand further,” the document says, according to multiple media outlets.
But all sanctions would snap back if Russia invades Ukraine again – “in addition to a decisive coordinated military response.” In addition, $100bn in frozen Russian assets would be dedicated to rebuilding Ukraine.

8.55am GMT
Western officials hold talks in Geneva on US plan for Ukraine as Trump suggests deal is not ‘final offer’

Welcome back to our live coverage of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Switzerland on Sunday for emergency talks to discuss a draft US plan to end the war that is widely seen as being favourable to Moscow despite Russia launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The 28-point draft plan, which was leaked last week, includes proposals that Kyiv had previously ruled out, including handing over areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
It also says that Ukraine should limit its military and relinquish its ambitions to join Nato. Ukraine would receive “reliable security guarantees”, the plan says without specifying.
Washington has given Kyiv a deadline of Thursday to respond, but Kyiv is seeking changes to the draft plan, which European and Ukrainian officials have said amounts to a “capitulation”.
The US president, Donald Trump, has said the plan is not the “final offer”, suggesting an extension could be possible. He has repeatedly expressed frustration at both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, for the lack of progress in negotiations.
A meeting has been hastily convened in Geneva later today, where national security advisers from the E3 – France, Britain and Germany – will reportedly meet EU, American and Ukrainian officials for further discussions.
Both the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will attend the Geneva meeting on Sunday.
Ukraine’s delegation is led by the head of Zelenskyy’s office, Andriy Yermak, and includes top security officials.
Stick with us as we bring you the latest developments throughout the day.

Updated at 9.20am GMT