<p>Washington: U.S. President <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/search?q=trump">Donald Trump</a> on Tuesday backed away from a Thursday deadline for <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/search?q=ukraine">Ukraine</a> to agree to a U.S.-backed peace plan and shrugged off a report that U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff coached the Russians on how to approach him on the topic.</p><p>Trump, speaking to reporters on board Air Force One as he flew to <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/search?q=florida">Florida</a> for the Thanksgiving holiday, said U.S. negotiators were making progress in discussions with Russia and Ukraine, and Moscow had agreed to some concessions. He did not detail them.</p>.White House denies Trump weighing ouster of FBI Director Kash Patel.<p>A U.S.-based framework for ending the war, first reported last week, prompted fresh concerns that the Trump administration might be willing to push Ukraine to sign a peace deal heavily tilted toward Moscow.</p><p>Trump said his envoy Steve Witkoff would be traveling to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week and that his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who helped negotiate the Gaza deal that brought about an uneasy ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, was also involved.</p><p>Trump in recent days had set the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday as the day when he wanted to see Ukraine agree to a deal to bring about an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.</p><p>But he and his aides have backed away from a firm deadline and now say they would like an agreement as soon as possible.</p><p>"The deadline for me is when it's over," Trump said on the presidential aircraft.</p><p>Bloomberg News reported that Witkoff, in an October 14 telephone call with Yuri Ushakov, the top foreign policy aide to Putin, said they should work together on a ceasefire plan for Ukraine and that Putin should raise it with Trump.</p><p>Bloomberg said Witkoff's guidance included suggestions on setting up a Trump-Putin call before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s White House visit later that week, and using the recently concluded Gaza agreement as a way in.</p><p>Asked about the report, Trump said he had not heard the recording of the call that Bloomberg based its story on but that he was not surprised because "that's what a dealmaker does."</p><p>"You know, that's a very standard form of negotiation," he said. "I would imagine he's saying the same thing to Ukraine."</p><p>Trump said it appeared that Russia had the upper hand in the war and that it would be in Ukraine's best interests to reach an agreement.</p><p>He said some Ukraine territory "might be gotten by Russia anyway" over the next couple of months.</p><p>Trump said security guarantees for Ukraine were being negotiated with Europeans.</p>
<p>Washington: U.S. President <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/search?q=trump">Donald Trump</a> on Tuesday backed away from a Thursday deadline for <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/search?q=ukraine">Ukraine</a> to agree to a U.S.-backed peace plan and shrugged off a report that U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff coached the Russians on how to approach him on the topic.</p><p>Trump, speaking to reporters on board Air Force One as he flew to <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/search?q=florida">Florida</a> for the Thanksgiving holiday, said U.S. negotiators were making progress in discussions with Russia and Ukraine, and Moscow had agreed to some concessions. He did not detail them.</p>.White House denies Trump weighing ouster of FBI Director Kash Patel.<p>A U.S.-based framework for ending the war, first reported last week, prompted fresh concerns that the Trump administration might be willing to push Ukraine to sign a peace deal heavily tilted toward Moscow.</p><p>Trump said his envoy Steve Witkoff would be traveling to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week and that his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who helped negotiate the Gaza deal that brought about an uneasy ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, was also involved.</p><p>Trump in recent days had set the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday as the day when he wanted to see Ukraine agree to a deal to bring about an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.</p><p>But he and his aides have backed away from a firm deadline and now say they would like an agreement as soon as possible.</p><p>"The deadline for me is when it's over," Trump said on the presidential aircraft.</p><p>Bloomberg News reported that Witkoff, in an October 14 telephone call with Yuri Ushakov, the top foreign policy aide to Putin, said they should work together on a ceasefire plan for Ukraine and that Putin should raise it with Trump.</p><p>Bloomberg said Witkoff's guidance included suggestions on setting up a Trump-Putin call before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s White House visit later that week, and using the recently concluded Gaza agreement as a way in.</p><p>Asked about the report, Trump said he had not heard the recording of the call that Bloomberg based its story on but that he was not surprised because "that's what a dealmaker does."</p><p>"You know, that's a very standard form of negotiation," he said. "I would imagine he's saying the same thing to Ukraine."</p><p>Trump said it appeared that Russia had the upper hand in the war and that it would be in Ukraine's best interests to reach an agreement.</p><p>He said some Ukraine territory "might be gotten by Russia anyway" over the next couple of months.</p><p>Trump said security guarantees for Ukraine were being negotiated with Europeans.</p>