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Summary
President Donald Trump revealed significant developments in Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations during a November 25, 2025 press gaggle aboard Air Force One, confirming that special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with President Putin in Moscow next week and that negotiators have narrowed the original 28-point peace plan down to approximately 22 points with several issues already resolved. Trump described the conflict as “probably one of the more difficult” of the eight wars he claims to have settled, acknowledged both sides are negotiating land exchanges along practical borders, and said he’s deferring to Europe on NATO membership and security guarantees for Ukraine. The President also unveiled his preferred healthcare plan—bypassing insurance companies to give subsidies directly to individuals—while expressing reluctance to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, confirmed that FBI Director Kash Patel will remain in his position despite recent legal setbacks, indicated he may speak with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro despite recent U.S. terrorist designations, praised improvements in Washington D.C. crime rates while criticizing Chicago’s leadership, and disclosed recent conversations with Chinese President Xi Jinping about trade and agricultural purchases ahead of his planned April trip to China and Japan.
Participants
- Donald Trump – President of the United States
- White House Press Corps – Multiple reporters (specific names not provided in transcript)
Russia-Ukraine Peace Negotiations
Current Status and Timeline
When asked about the latest developments with Russia and Ukraine, President Trump indicated that negotiations are progressing but remain complex. He confirmed active discussions with Russia while noting that Ukraine appears receptive to the process. “We’re having good talks, and we started with Russia. We’re having some talks with Russia. Ukraine is doing well. I think they’re pretty happy about it. They’d like to see it end,” Trump stated.
Regarding a potential visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump suggested holding off until a deal materializes: “He would like to come, but I think we should get a deal done first.”
The President acknowledged this conflict has proven unexpectedly challenging: “We settled eight wars, and I thought this would be one of the easier ones because of my relationship with President Putin. But, uh, this is probably one of the more difficult ones. There’s a lotta hatred.”
The Evolving Peace Plan
Reporters pressed Trump on the leaked 28-point plan that had drawn criticism from some Republicans for being too favorable to Russia. Trump clarified that the original proposal has evolved significantly: “That was just a map. All that was is a map. That was not a plan. It was a concept. And from there, they’ve taken each one of the 28 points, and then you got down to 22 points. A lot of them were solved, and actually, very favorably solved.”
This represents a reduction of six points from the original framework, with Trump suggesting the resolved issues were addressed in ways acceptable to negotiators.
Territory and Border Issues
On the contentious question of land concessions to Russia, Trump provided a pragmatic assessment of battlefield realities. He noted that territory is currently “moving in one direction” and questioned whether continued fighting justifies the human cost: “Eventually, that’s land that, over the next couple of months, might be gotten by Russia anyway. So do you wanna fight and lose another 50, 60,000 people, or do you wanna do something now? In some cases, the land is going in the other direction.”
Trump emphasized that negotiators are working on practical border arrangements: “They’re talking about going land both ways and trying to clean up a border. You know, you can’t go through the middle of a house; you can’t go through the middle of a highway. So they’re trying to work — it’s a complicated process. Doesn’t go that quickly.”
He further explained: “You can’t have a border that goes through a highway or border that goes through the middle of a town. So, and it doesn’t work? So it’s a long, it’s a long, complicated process. They’re very, very sad ’cause so many people are being killed.”
Steve Witkoff’s Moscow Mission
Steve Witkoff, serving as Trump’s special envoy, is scheduled to travel to Moscow for direct talks with President Putin. “They’re gonna keep talking. They’re talking to Russia now. 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, uh, they’re gonna be meeting with President Putin, I believe, next week, in Moscow,” Trump confirmed.
When asked about reported audio of Witkoff coaching Russian negotiators on how to appeal to Trump, the President defended this as standard diplomatic practice: “That’s a standard thing. You know, ’cause he is gotta sell this to Ukraine. He’s gotta sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what he’s, that’s what a deal maker does. You gotta say, ‘Look, they want this.’ You gotta convince him with this. You know, that’s a very standard form of negotiation.”
Trump added: “I haven’t heard it, but I heard it was standard negotiation. And I would imagine he’s saying the same thing to Ukraine. ‘Cause each party has to give and take.”
Asked if he worried Witkoff might be “too pro-Russian,” Trump framed the negotiation in terms of demographic realities: “This war could go on for years, and Russia’s got a lot more people, got a lot more soldiers, you know. So I think, if Ukraine can make a deal, it’s a good thing. I think it’s great for both. Frankly, I think it’s great for both. But Ukraine’s got a, you know, it’s much smaller. It’s a much smaller group of people. They’ve lost a lotta people. Russia’s a lotta people. But Russia has a much bigger pool of people.”
Deadlines and Russian Concessions
When pressed about whether a previous Thanksgiving deadline still stood, Trump was noncommittal: “See what happens. They set up a date. Uh, the date is gonna be sometime in the very near future.” He later clarified his only deadline: “No deadline. I just, you know what the deadline for me is? When it’s over. And I think everybody’s tired of fighting at this moment.”
Trump added: “They’re losing, they’re losing too many people.”
Regarding Russian concessions, Trump pointed to the cessation of hostilities itself: “Their big concession is they stop fighting, and they don’t take any more land.” He added his frequent refrain that “it’s a war that would’ve never happened if I was president. This was not anything that was going to happen. This happened because of, uh, stupidity. It’s too bad.”
NATO and Security Guarantees
On the critical question of Ukraine’s NATO membership and security guarantees, Trump indicated this would be largely Europe’s responsibility: “We’re working that out with Europe. Europe will be largely involved in that. We’re working that out with Europe. Europe really wants to see an end if possi–” (He was cut off by another question.)
Healthcare Policy Overhaul
Trump’s Preferred Plan
In what could represent a significant shift in U.S. healthcare policy, President Trump outlined his preferred approach: eliminating the role of insurance companies as intermediaries and instead providing subsidies directly to individuals.
“We’re looking at different alternatives. I mean, I like my plan the best. Don’t give any money to the insurance companies, give it to the people directly. Let ’em go out, buy their own healthcare plan. And we’re looking at that, if, if that can work. We’re looking at that. That’s sort of taken off,” Trump explained.
He emphasized this point repeatedly: “That’s what I like. Don’t give the money to the insurance companies. They go out, they go out and buy their own plan. You give the money to the people. I like it the best.”
Affordable Care Act Subsidies
When asked about extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, Trump expressed clear reluctance: “I’d rather not… Somebody said I want to extend it for two years. I don’t want to extend it for two years. I’d rather not extend them at all.”
However, he acknowledged political realities might require compromise: “Maybe. Some kind of an extension may be necessary to get something else done because the unaffordable care act has been a disaster. It’s a disaster. And I said it was when it first got put in. Unfortunately we lost a couple of Republican votes and the Democrats voted for it. It’s a Democrat plan. And uh, the premiums are going up and it’s the Democrat’s fault.”
He continued: “But you know, they are negotiating with ’em. It’s very interesting. They wanna see something happen.”
Bipartisan Negotiations
Surprisingly, Trump suggested he’s in discussions with Democrats about his healthcare proposal: “I can’t tell you who, but we have, a lot of Democrats want this plan to happen. They would love to see the money go to the people and the people go out and get their own healthcare and there would be nothing like it.”
This represents a notable claim of bipartisan interest in what would be a fundamental restructuring of how federal healthcare assistance is delivered.
FBI Director and Legal Matters
Support for Kash Patel
Trump firmly dismissed any speculation about replacing FBI Director Kash Patel: “No, he’s doing a good job… Kash Patel? No, he’s doing a great job, I think.”
Dismissed Cases and Lindsey Halligan
Addressing recent legal setbacks—cases against James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James that were dismissed—Trump maintained confidence in Attorney Lindsey Halligan and suggested the legal battle isn’t over.
“No, she’s great. I think she’s great. They got out on the technicality and, but you’ll see what happens from here on. But, uh, if you look at the actual charges, uh, I think anybody that looks at it very fairly would say, ‘Boy, are they guilty.’ So let’s see what happens over the next week. You know, they, the court didn’t say you couldn’t bring the case, re-bring the case or appeal the case,” Trump stated.
He emphasized that decisions on next steps wouldn’t come from him directly: “So they have a lot of opp, they’re gonna call the shot. I’m not calling the shot. But Lindsey’s a very talented lawyer, actually.”
This framing attempts to maintain distance from prosecution decisions while signaling support for continued legal action.
Venezuela and Nicolás Maduro
Potential Diplomatic Engagement
In a striking development, President Trump indicated he may speak directly with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: “I might talk to him. We’ll see. But, uh, we’re discussing that with their, with the different staffs. But we might talk with Venezuela.”
This comes despite the fact that the U.S. government recently designated Maduro as the leader of a foreign terrorist organization (the reporter referenced this designation occurring “this week”).
When pressed on why he would engage with someone carrying such a designation, Trump provided a pragmatic response: “Well, if we can save lives, if you can do things the easy way, that’s fine. And if we have to do it the hard way, that’s fine too.”
Grievances Against Venezuela
Trump refused to detail his specific goals for such discussions but outlined extensive grievances against the Maduro regime: “I’m not going to tell you what the goal is. You should probably know what the goal is. But, uh, they’ve caused a lot of problem and they’ve sent millions of people into our country. They had, I mean, they were probably the biggest abuser with Tren de Aragua and all the others that they sent in, the drug dealers, the drug lords, the people that they sent in, the jailbird thing.”
Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan criminal organization that has expanded operations internationally. Trump’s reference to “the jailbird thing” relates to claims that Venezuela emptied prisons and sent inmates to the United States.
“They opened their jails and prisons and dumped them into the United States that, uh, we’re not happy about it. Okay?” Trump concluded.
The juxtaposition of harsh rhetoric with openness to dialogue reflects Trump’s characteristic approach of maintaining both pressure and potential diplomatic offramps.
Washington D.C. Mayor and Urban Crime
Mayor Bowser’s Decision
When asked about D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announcing she won’t seek re-election, Trump offered measured praise: “Well, I got along with her very well. I liked her. We worked together.”
Claims About D.C. Crime Reduction
Trump then launched into expansive claims about crime reduction in Washington, D.C.: “DC is now a safe community. It’s a great community. You people know it better than I do ’cause you live there. But DC is now safe. The restaurants are booming, the place is booming. We have no crime. And we did that all in a period of three or four weeks and then made it better and better and better.”
He continued: “And now we’re setting new records. I mean, literally, it’s as safe as there is anywhere in the country now. And right, if you go back a year, it was a very unsafe place. Before I got here, DC was a very unsafe, and it’s our capital. We have to make it safe. We’re doing really well in Memphis, Tennessee, and we’re doing well in other places.”
Criticism of Chicago Leadership
Chicago drew Trump’s harshest criticism: “The one that is really troubling is what’s happening in Chicago, the crime. It’s a, it’s a potentially great city again, but the governor’s totally lost control. That’s where you had the young lady burned. That’s where you had a lot of killings over the last very short period of time. Killings. The governor has totally lost control of the state and the mayor is grossly incompetent.”
Trump appeared to reference a specific recent crime (“the young lady burned”) while painting a picture of widespread violence and failed leadership at both state and municipal levels.
Asia-Pacific Relations
Japanese Prime Minister Call
When asked about his conversation with the Japanese Prime Minister (Japan’s current Prime Minister is a woman, as Trump’s pronouns indicate), Trump offered brief but positive comments: “Great. I had a great talk. I have a very good relationship with her… I also had a very good talk with President Xi of China, and I think that part of the world is doing fine.”
He later added: “I just came back from Japan and, uh, we have a great relationship, the new Prime Minister and myself. She’s very smart, she’s very strong and she’s gonna be a great leader.”
Conversation with President Xi
Trump’s discussion of his call with Chinese President Xi Jinping focused heavily on trade and agriculture. When asked about the content, Trump revealed: “Mostly trade… Uh, I spoke to President Xi about a lot of things, but, uh, trade and buying our farm products and he said he agreed with me. He’s gonna, I think he’s gonna very much surprise you on the upside. I think he’s gonna, I asked him, ‘I’d like you to buy it a little faster. I’d like you to buy more.’ And he’s more or less agreed to do that.”
Trump expressed optimism about the relationship: “I think we will be pleasantly surprised by the actions of President Xi. I have a good relationship, great relationship with him. I like him. He likes me.”
April Trip to China and Japan
The President confirmed upcoming travel plans: “I’m gonna be going there in April. I guess you’ll all be going with me, but I’m gonna be going to China in April with Japan. Likewise, I just came back from Japan.”
This indicates a combined trip to both countries, suggesting continued engagement with major Asian-Pacific powers on trade and security issues.
Context and Analysis
Air Force One Press Gaggles
Press gaggles aboard Air Force One represent informal question-and-answer sessions with the traveling press corps. Unlike formal press conferences with prepared statements and structured formats, these exchanges tend to be more spontaneous and wide-ranging. Presidents use them to shape narratives on multiple policy fronts simultaneously while demonstrating accessibility to the media.
Negotiating Style on Display
Trump’s comments on the Russia-Ukraine negotiations revealed his transactional approach to diplomacy—emphasizing practical outcomes over ideological commitments, accepting territorial adjustments based on battlefield realities, and viewing the negotiation process itself as requiring salesmanship to both sides. His defense of Witkoff’s reported coaching of Russian negotiators as “standard” reflects this business-oriented framework.
Healthcare Policy Shift
The proposed healthcare model—providing subsidies directly to individuals rather than through insurance companies—represents a significant departure from both the Affordable Care Act structure and traditional Republican “repeal and replace” proposals. If implemented, this would fundamentally reshape the health insurance marketplace by empowering consumers to purchase coverage directly with government assistance. However, Trump provided no details on regulatory framework, minimum coverage standards, or how this would address pre-existing condition protections.
Crime Claims and Reality
Trump’s assertions about Washington D.C. crime transformation “in a period of three or four weeks” represent claims that would require independent verification through official crime statistics. His characterization of D.C. as having “no crime” and being “as safe as there is anywhere in the country now” appears to be significant rhetorical exaggeration. Similarly, his criticism of Chicago’s leadership on crime, while highlighting real concerns about violence in that city, presents a starkly divided picture of urban safety under different political leadership.
China Trade Relations
Trump’s optimistic framing of discussions with Xi Jinping on agricultural purchases suggests an attempt to demonstrate progress on trade issues that have been contentious between the two nations. His characterization of the personal relationship (“I like him. He likes me”) reflects his preference for framing international relations through personal rapport with other leaders.
Works Cited
“Press Gaggle: Donald Trump Speaks to Reporters on Board Air Force One – November 25, 2025.” Factbase, Roll Call, 25 Nov. 2025, www.factba.se.