(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed away from his earlier Thursday deadline for Ukraine to agree to a US-backed peace plan, saying, "The deadline for me is when it's over."

Donald Trump was quoted by Reuters as saying that US negotiators were making progress in discussions with Russia and Ukraine, and Moscow had agreed to some concessions. He added,“Ukraine is happy.”

“We are making progress,” Trump said.

Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin to meet next week

Donald Trump on Tuesday said his envoy, Steve Witkoff, would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week. He said they may be joined by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

"Steve Witkoff is going over, maybe with Jared. I'm not sure about Jared going, but he's involved in the process, smart guy, and they're going to be meeting with President Putin, I believe, next week in Moscow," Trump said aboard Air Force One.

Meanwhile, in a post on TRUTH Social, Trump said,“In the hopes of finalising this Peace Plan, I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians.”

He added,“I will be briefed on all progress made, along with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.”

Trump to meet Putin, Zelensky only if...

Trump wrote on TRUTH Social that he hopes to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Putin“only when the deal to end this war is final or, in its final stage.”

“I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages. Thank you for your attention to this very important matter, and let's all hope that PEACE can be accomplished AS SOON AS POSSIBLE,” he said.

'Initial 28-point plan was just a map'

Trump said the initial 28-point plan to bring peace to war-torn Ukraine was just a map.

“The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement,” Trump posted on TRUTH Social on Tuesday.

Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plan to Trump

US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine - and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump.

In a 14 October phone call that lasted a little over five minutes, Witkoff advised Yuri Ushakov, Putin's top foreign policy aide, on how the Russian leader should broach the issue with Trump.

His guidance included suggestions on setting up a Trump-Putin call before Volodymyr Zelenskiy's White House visit later that week and using the Gaza agreement as a way in.

“We put a 20-point Trump plan together that was 20 points for peace, and I'm thinking maybe we do the same thing with you,” Witkoff told Ushakov, according to a recording of the conversation reviewed and transcribed by Bloomberg.

“This story proves one thing: Special Envoy Witkoff talks to officials in both Russia and Ukraine nearly every day to achieve peace, which is exactly what President Trump appointed him to do,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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