Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had “very good” conversations on Christmas Day with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as negotiations continue over the terms of a potential peace deal.
“Thank you for your constructive approach, focused efforts, kind words and Christmas greetings to the Ukrainian people,” President Zelenskiy said in a statement.
Zelenskiy said the two countries discussed “certain substantive details” about the ongoing peace talks and that the conversations had resulted in “some new ideas on how to bring about real peace.”
The Ukrainian leader was joined on the call by other diplomats, including Secretary of the Defense Council Rustem Umerov.
Zelenskiy said Umerov will hold additional talks with Kushner and Witkov later Thursday.
“We believe that this is the right approach. We must not waste even a single day or day of opportunity to bring the outcome closer. We hope that today’s dialogue will be another step towards peace,” he said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news conference in Moscow early Thursday that progress was being made “slowly but steadily” in the negotiation process between Russia and the United States.
She went on to accuse the European Union of remaining committed to “escalating conflicts and prolonging hostilities.”
Pope Leo also appealed for peace in Ukraine in his Christmas speech.
“May the cries of arms cease and the parties involved with the support and engagement of the international community find the courage to engage in honest, direct and respectful dialogue,” the religious leader said.
The Trump administration’s peace efforts have made gradual progress in recent weeks.
Over the weekend, Umerov’s Ukrainian delegation and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev met separately with their American counterparts in what Vitkov described as “constructive and productive.”
President Zelenskiy on Tuesday laid out new details about the 20-point plan, describing it as “a fundamental document on ending the war, a political document between us, the United States, Europe and Russia.”
The Ukrainian president also discussed security details between Ukraine, the United States and European countries, which form an important part of the peace agreement with Russia.
Zelenskiy said the plan includes Ukraine withdrawing its troops from the Donetsk region.
Russia would then have to withdraw its troops in a manner comparable to the land ceded by the Ukrainian military, effectively establishing a demilitarized zone around part of its current front lines.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was “currently analyzing the materials” of the proposal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that for the peace plan to work, Ukraine would have to effectively cede all of Donetsk.
“We want to do this through diplomacy and eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” Putin said at the annual meeting of Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
“If the hostile state and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions, Russia will achieve the liberation of historical lands through military means,” he added.
President Trump has maintained that the Ukraine war is closer than ever to an end, but a formal agreement that both sides can agree on remains elusive.
The diplomatic exchange unfolds as Russia continues its deadly attacks on Ukrainian targets.
The latest campaign focuses on Odessa, a major port city in Ukraine bordering the Black Sea.
Moscow’s attacks caused power outages in the city and surrounding areas, and also damaged port infrastructure and civilian shipping.
Russia on Tuesday carried out its largest airstrike on Ukraine this month, killing at least three people and wounding at least 17 others.
Kiev forces withdrew from the town of Siversk in eastern Ukraine as Russian forces carried out “active offensive operations,” the country’s military said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian security services have stepped up drone and sabotage operations against Russian fighter jets and submarines this month, attacking Russian airfields in occupied Crimea and southern Russia with long-range drones.
President Zelenskiy said Kiev’s military was on alert for a potential attack ahead of Christmas and called on Ukraine’s intelligence services to “significantly intensify their activities.”
“We understand that on exactly such a day, there is a possibility of a large-scale strike on Christmas. It is in their nature that there is a possibility of a large-scale strike on Christmas,” President Zelenskiy told X. In particular, it added that from December 23 to 25, officials held a meeting on the defense of the Ukrainian region.
Meanwhile, a Russian general was killed in a car bomb in Moscow this week, and officials blame Ukraine for what appears to be the latest assassination of a senior military official.
