Zelenskyy reports progress in Ukraine peace talks with US officials

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday expressed optimism about progress in peace negotiations after speaking with Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Zelenskyy said the Christmas conversation focused on ongoing efforts to end the war and move toward 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 war of Russia against Ukraine closer and to ensure that all documents and measures are realistic, effective and reliable,” Zelensky said.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and EU 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 several times in Miami in recent weeks to discuss possible elements of a peace plan aimed at ending nearly four years of fighting.

Zelensky said Monday that the draft peace framework had been reduced from 28 to 20 and included proposals for security guarantees involving Ukraine, European allies and the United States, as well as a first look at Ukraine’s post-war recovery.

The Ukrainian president said the framework included a separate document on bilateral security guarantees with the United States that would likely require review by the U.S. Congress.

Zelensky warned that some differences remain, emphasizing that Ukraine and Russia have positions they are not ready to accept as negotiations between the United States and Russian officials continue.

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Paramedics treat Valentina, who was injured during 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 told a news briefing Thursday that talks between Washington and Moscow were moving forward gradually, while accusing unnamed Western European countries of trying to undermine the process.

Zakharova said the negotiations had shown “slow but steady progress” but were accompanied by what she described as “extremely harmful, even malicious attempts” to derail diplomatic efforts, according to Russia’s official Tass news agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested last week that Russia’s objectives in Ukraine remain unchanged and will be achieved either through negotiations or further military advances if diplomatic efforts fail.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a Hero of Russia gold medal award ceremony after the annual meeting of the Defense Ministry’s board of directors in Moscow, December 17, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin swimming pool photo via AP)

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“The goals of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved,” he said, using the term used by the Kremlin for the full-scale invasion of Moscow 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 backers refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will succeed in liberating its historic lands through military means,” the Russian leader told military officials, according to a transcript of the speech released by the government.