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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke positively of his talks with U.S. envoys on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Zelensky said Thursday’s call with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner lasted nearly an hour and “generated new ideas in terms of the format, the meeting and … the timing of how to achieve real peace.”
He spoke after a day of dedication U.S. and Ukrainian envoys to Florida agree on details of updated 20-point peace plan.
Zelensky said he had asked Witkov and Kushner to convey Christmas wishes to US President Donald Trump “and the entire Trump family.”
The Kremlin said it was analyzing proposals brought back from the United States by Russian envoys.
Trump and his envoys have been holding talks with Ukraine and Russia in an effort to reach a deal to end the war sparked by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
There appeared to be some progress in recent days, with Ukraine’s president praising Witkov and Trump’s son-in-law Kushner for their “good ideas.”
Zelensky said it was an “active day” for the country’s diplomacy, which he detailed with the U.S. envoy.
He acknowledged that “there is still work to be done on sensitive issues” but added that “together with the U.S. team, we understand how to put all this into place”.
Zelensky added that Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov would speak to the two envoys again soon.
The 20-point peace plan agreed upon by the United States and Ukraine is seen as an update to a plan drafted by Vitkov and Russian negotiators weeks ago, which is widely seen as primarily targeting Russian demands.
Zelensky said on Wednesday describing the updated proposal, which raises to Russia the possibility of withdrawing Ukrainian troops from the east and establishing a demilitarized zone in their location.
He said the plan now includes U.S., NATO and European security guarantees for a coordinated military response if Russia invades Ukraine again.
On the key issue of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky said that the “free economic zone” was a potential option. He stressed that any area where Ukrainian troops withdraw must be overseen by Ukraine.
On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was analyzing proposals brought back from the United States by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
“We are analyzing what Dmitriev passed on to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. We are reviewing the material and, depending on the head of state’s decision, we will continue to communicate with the Americans,” he said.
While diplomatic efforts to end the conflict are making progress, fighting continues on the ground.
Ukraine’s military said on Thursday it had struck one of Russia’s main oil refineries in the southern Rostov region with cruise missiles.
The Novoshakhtinsk refinery near the Ukrainian border is critical for supplying fuel for Russia’s military operations in occupied eastern Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Russian troops have taken control of the Svyato-Pokrovsk settlement in the Donetsk region.
