Trump gives Thursday deadline for Ukraine to accept peace deal

President Trump on Friday said he was giving Ukraine until Thursday to accept a U.S. peace deal to end the war with Russia.

Trump was asked on Fox News Radio's “Brian Kilmeade Show” on Friday, “So is next Thursday the deadline, that you gave a loose deadline for Ukraine?” The Hill news outlet reported.

“Well, we have, you know, I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines,” Trump said. “But Thursday is, we think, an appropriate time.”

Earlier, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. had set the Thursday deadline for Ukraine to agree to a version of the 28-point peace plan negotiated by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia's top negotiator. Ukraine’s Parliament and Russia would still need to approve the plan.

Per the deal, Ukraine would give up full control of the eastern territory of the Donbas to Russia, even while it maintains control of about 12% of the territory with a heavily fortified front line. The plan also requires Ukraine to cut in half the size of its armed forces.

When Kilmeade noted that Ukraine has not lost the territory the deal calls on it to cede, Trump said Ukraine “will lose” the land “in a short period of time.”

“They’re losing land,” the president said.