Zelensky said in his New Year’s address that the peace agreement was 90% complete

In his New Year’s address, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that a peace agreement to end the war with Russia is “90% ready” and that its main focus is to resist Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

Zelensky said the remaining 10 percent of the deal to end nearly four years of conflict would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe.”

“We believe in you and our victory,” Russian President Vladimir Putin told his troops in a New Year’s address.

Earlier on Wednesday, Moscow also released evidence of alleged Ukrainian drone attacks on Putin’s private residence on Lake Valdai in northwest Russia, a charge Kyiv strenuously denies.

They include a map purportedly showing drones being launched from the Sumy and Chernihiv regions of Ukraine, as well as a video of a downed drone lying in a snowy woodland. A soldier standing next to the wreckage claimed it was a Ukrainian Chaklon drone.

The BBC was unable to verify the footage or determine where it was filmed.

The Kremlin said Russia would review its position on ongoing peace talks over the alleged incident.

However, the EU’s top diplomat Kaya Karas on Wednesday described Russia’s claims as a “deliberate distraction” and an attempt to derail the peace process.

In a 20-minute address to the nation, Zelensky said Ukraine did not want peace “at any cost”, adding that “we want an end to the war, not an end to Ukraine”.

He said Ukraine’s withdrawal from the eastern Donbass region means “everything will be over”, referring to Russia’s highest demands on Moscow Ensure complete control of industrial areas in any peace agreement.

Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region and about 99% of the neighboring Lugansk region. The two regions are collectively known as Donbass.

Its fate has been a major obstacle throughout the negotiations, with Russia consistently unwilling to compromise on its goal of total control of Donbass.

In his speech, Zelensky thanked leaders for supporting Ukraine but said “intent must become a guarantee of security and therefore must be approved.”

After Zelensky held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida earlier this week, the Ukrainian leader said Washington had made conditions 15 years safety guarantee – But the timetable for implementation is unclear.

“Signatures under a weak agreement will only exacerbate the war,” Zelensky said in his speech. “Either the world stops Russia’s war, or Russia drags the world into war.”

In comparison, Putin’s New Year’s address was much shorter.

Referring to Moscow’s description of the war in Ukraine as a “special military operation,” Putin said: “We strive to bring joy and warmth by caring for those who need support, and of course, we will also support our heroes – participants of special military operations – in words and deeds.”

Separately, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised the “invincible alliance” between Pyongyang and Moscow in his New Year’s address, while praising soldiers fighting in “foreign lands.”

South Korean officials say North Korea has sent thousands of troops as well as missiles and long-range weapons to assist the Russian invasion.

South Korea estimates that at least 600 of those soldiers died.

Zelensky expressed hope that peace talks could resume and accelerate this month with the participation of U.S. and European officials.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that European countries and allies scheduled to meet in Paris on January 6 “will make concrete commitments to protect Ukraine and ensure a just and lasting peace on the European continent.”

On Wednesday, Trump’s advisers held talks with Zelensky and the national security advisers of Britain, France and Germany on ending the war in Ukraine.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkopf said they discussed “strengthening security and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not restart.”

But any deal will ultimately require Russian support, which doesn’t appear to be coming anytime soon — and the alleged drone incident over Putin’s official residence could push that possibility even further.