Trump’s Truth Social post on Ukraine surprises Zelensky’s chief aide pushing for Mar-a-Lago peace deal

WASHINGTON — President Trump abruptly broke Kyiv’s hopes for a peace summit this week that could finally stop the nearly three‑year war with Russia.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, was in the middle of an interview with The Post on Tuesday, Trump flashed a post on Truth Social announcing that he was sending Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with Ukrainian officials and Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to push peace talks. The move effectively stalled Trump’s earlier target of ending the fighting by Thanksgiving.

Yermak had just spent the previous half‑hour telling The Post that he hoped the 19‑point plan to end the Russia‑Ukraine war, which was hammered out on Sunday, would soon be adopted by the United States as a joint US‑Ukraine peace proposal. He also wanted Trump and Zelensky to sign the agreement at Mar‑a‑Lago during the Thanksgiving holiday.

“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,” Trump wrote. He added, “let’s all hope that PEACE can be accomplished AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!”

When Yermak read the full post, his expression fell flat; he appeared deeply disappointed. Asked to comment immediately, he said he would speak again in 24 hours to gauge the new reality.

“It’s necessary to wait and to understand with which position Driscoll will come, and to talk with Witkoff to understand which position he is going with to Moscow,” Yermak said. “What is good with President Trump is that he can change his position very quick.”

Kyiv had wanted Zelensky and Trump to meet soon — not just for a symbolic gesture, but because each day brings more Russian missile strikes and civilian casualties. “Every day it’s a risk to lose best people, children. We have no time,” Yermak said.

The discussion centered on a 19‑point draft that Washington and Kyiv officials worked on together on Sunday. Yermak hoped the United States would adopt the plan as a joint peace proposal for Ukraine by week’s end and put pressure on Moscow. Russia, however, had not yet committed, and was unlikely to do so after rejecting an earlier, Moscow‑friendly 28‑point version.

The 19‑point draft remains unfinished; “sensitive points” still need direct negotiation between Trump and Zelensky. Yermak had expected they could resolve these in a face‑to‑face meeting, ideally as early as Thursday.

Yermak emphasized that only the United States has the clout to pull Moscow into a deal. “I am sure that United States of America have the lot of possibility … how to press Russia,” he said, citing sanctions, secondary sanctions on countries aiding Moscow, and Washington’s broader global influence.

He insisted that Trump, in particular, has the power to end the conflict. “I’m still sure that one leader in the world who can end this war … it’s President Trump,” Yermak said.

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