Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine and the United States are close to finalizing a framework of security guarantees and economic arrangements tied to a proposed peace plan, while Russia has signaled it will seek significant changes before reaching an agreement to end the war.
At a press conference in Kiev on December 22, Zelenskyy said talks with US officials had produced a 20-point plan and related documents, including security guarantees involving Ukraine, the United States and European partners. He acknowledged that the framework was not flawless, but described it as a tangible step forward.
“There are twenty points in the plan, probably not everything there is perfect, but this plan is there,” Zelenskyy said. “There are security guarantees between us, the Europeans and the United States of America, there is a framework document.”
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President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York City, September 23, 2025. (Al Drago/Reuters)
Zelenskyy said a separate bilateral document with Washington on security guarantees is intended for review by the US Congress, adding that major agreement had been reached on key annexes critical to Ukraine’s military needs.
“I have seen the first developments, there are almost 90%, to be honest, exactly those attachments that are important for us, that our army and Ukraine can count on,” he said, describing the draft as “very decent.”
A Christmas tree still stands in a living room damaged by a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, on December 16, 2025. Russian forces attacked a nine-story apartment building with a drone, causing fires in several flats and injuring three people. (Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
He also said that a first draft of an agreement on the recovery of Ukraine has been drawn up, calling it an economic strategy that, together with the security documents, constitutes “the basic block of all documents.”
However, Zelensky warned that diplomacy has not reduced the immediate military threat from Russia. He criticized Moscow for rejecting proposals for a Christmas ceasefire, calling it a “bad signal” and warning of possible attacks during the holiday period.
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Ukrainian soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer at Russian frontline positions in the Zaporizhia region, Ukraine, August 20, 2025. (Danylo Antoniuk/AP Photo)
“When Russia says there will be no Christmas ceasefire, I think this is basically what they always say: they emphasize intimidation,” Zelensky said. He added that Ukraine faces a shortage of air defenses and urged citizens to remain vigilant.
Reuters also reported that Zelenskyy confirmed that Russian forces had captured a border village in Ukraine’s Sumy region, capturing dozens of civilians and thirteen Ukrainian soldiers. He said Ukrainian forces refrained from attacking Russian troops because civilians were present. Reuters noted that it could not independently verify the account and that Russia had not commented.
On the Russian side, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the US peace proposals, and Moscow is expected to formulate its position in the coming days, according to Reuters and Anadolu Agency.
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President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, August 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, file)
Bloomberg News reported that Russia views the 20-point plan agreed upon by Ukraine and the US as just a starting point. According to a person close to the Kremlin, Moscow plans to pursue significant changes, including additional restrictions on the Ukrainian military, arguing that the proposal lacks provisions important to Russia and leaves many questions unanswered.
The emerging positions underscore a widening gap between Kiev’s display of progress on security guarantees and Moscow’s insistence on renegotiating core elements of the U.S.-backed plan as diplomacy continues.
Reuters contributed to this report.
