Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed optimism on Thursday about the progress of peace negotiations after a conversation with Jared Kushner and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Zelenskyy said the Christmas talk focused on continued efforts to end the war and move toward a lasting peace.
“Today we had a very good conversation with President Trump’s Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff @SEPeaceMissions and @jaredkushner,” he wrote on X, thanking them for their “intensive work” and “constructive approach.”
“We are truly working 24/7 to bring the end of this brutal Russian war against Ukraine closer and to ensure that all documents and steps are realistic, effective and reliable,” Zelenskyy said.
RUSSIAN CRUISER MISSILES HIT OUR COMPANY IN HUGE STRIKE IN UKRAINE AMID TRUMP’S PEACE PRESSURE
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and European leaders pose for a photo during talks at the Chancellery in Berlin, December 15, 2025. (Lisi Niesner/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian officials have met with Witkoff and Kushner in Miami several times in recent weeks to discuss possible elements of a peace plan aimed at ending nearly four years of fighting.
Zelenskyy said on Monday that the draft peace framework has been reduced from 28 to 20 points and includes proposed security guarantees involving Ukraine, European allies and the United States, along with an initial outline for Ukraine’s post-war recovery.
The Ukrainian president said the framework includes a separate document on bilateral security guarantees with the United States, which is likely to be reviewed by the US Congress.
Zelenskiy warned that some disagreements remain, noting that both Ukraine and Russia have positions they are unwilling to accept as U.S. talks with Russian officials continue.
Putin rejects key parts of US peace plan as Kremlin official warns Europe faces new war risk: report
Paramedics treat Valentina, who was injured in an attack on a residential area in Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, December 15, 2025. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news conference on Thursday that talks between Washington and Moscow were progressing gradually, while accusing unnamed Western European countries of undermining the process.
Zakharova said the negotiations had shown “slow but steady progress” but were accompanied by what she described as “extremely damaging and even malicious attempts” to derail diplomatic efforts, according to Russia’s state news agency Tass.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed last week that Russia’s objectives in Ukraine are unchanged and will be achieved through negotiations or further military advances if diplomatic efforts fail.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a ceremony awarding the Gold Star Medal of the Hero of Russia after the annual board meeting of the Ministry of Defense in Moscow on December 17, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
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“The objectives of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved,” he said, using the Kremlin term to refer to Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
“We would prefer to achieve this and address the root causes of the conflict through diplomatic means. However, if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to participate in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historic territories through military means,” the Russian leader told military officials, according to a transcript of the speech released by the government.
