US President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to accept his administration's plan aimed at ending the war with Russia by ceding territory, saying his counterpart in Ukraine will "have to like it".
"He'll have to like it, and if he doesn't like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting," Mr Trump told reporters who asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's less-than-enthusiastic response to his plan.
"At some point, he's going to have to accept something," Mr Trump added during the Oval Office meeting with New York City's future mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Yesterday, Mr Zelensky pushed back on the American plan, saying he would not "betray" his country over the 28-point document, seen in Ukraine as very favourable to the Kremlin.
The 79-year-old Republican has grown frustrated at not succeeding in ending the war triggered in February 2022 by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and is now seeking an acceleration.
Earlier, Mr Trump set a deadline of 27 November - the American Thanksgiving holiday - for Ukraine to accept his administration's plan aimed at ending its war with Russia.
"I've had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines. But Thursday is, we think, an appropriate time," Mr Trump said in an interview with Fox News Radio.
Under the plan, Ukraine would give up a swathe of eastern territory to Russia and slash the size of its army, according to a draft obtained by AFP.
Ukraine would also pledge never to join NATO, and would not get the Western peacekeepers they have called for, although European warplanes would be stationed in Poland.
Mr Trump said that if fighting continued, the Ukrainians would still end up losing the territories they would have to cede to Russia under his peace plan.
"Say what you want, they were very brave," he said about Ukrainian forces fighting the Russians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "is not looking for more war," the Republican leader responded when asked about the possibility of Russia attacking other countries in Europe after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Mr Trump also stated that Mr Putin was "taking punishment" for the conflict going on for nearly four years now when, the US president added, it "was supposed to be a one-day war."
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G20 summit opens in South Africa without Trump
Meanwhile, a US-European rift over the future of Ukraine is set to overshadow a G20 summit starting in South Africa today, further marked by Mr Trump's pointed absence.
The Johannesburg gathering is being attended by a host of world leaders, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
But President Trump is boycotting the event, with his government saying South Africa's priorities - notably boosting global cooperation on trade and climate action - run counter to US policy.
The US President nevertheless loomed large at the event, the first summit of the group of major economies to be held in Africa.
Today, European leaders are to meet on the side lines of the summit to make it clear "that there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine", European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.
Earlier, the Taoiseach said that the G20 summit is a "huge networking opportunity" for Ireland, adding that Ireland is very honoured to be invited as a guest country this year.
Speaking on his arrival in Johannesburg, he said Irish officials and civil servants had attended over 100 meetings throughout this year, "working on a range of issues, from sustainability, climate, economy and trade, global development, particularly development in Africa".
