Zelenskyy encouraged by 'very good' Christmas talks with US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed optimism Thursday astir the advancement of bid negotiations aft speaking with Jared Kushner and U.S. peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff.

Zelenskyy said the Christmas speech centered connected ongoing efforts to extremity the warfare and determination toward a durable, lasting peace.

"Today we had a precise bully speech with President Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff @SEPeaceMissions and @jaredkushner," helium wrote connected X, thanking them for their "intensive work" and "constructive approach."

"We are genuinely moving 24/7 to bring person the extremity of this brutal Russian warfare against Ukraine and to guarantee that each documents and steps are realistic, effective, and reliable," Zelenskyy said.

RUSSIAN CRUISE MISSILES HIT US COMPANY IN MASSIVE UKRAINE STRIKE AMID TRUMP'S PEACE PUSH

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and European leaders airs for a photograph during talks astatine the Chancellery successful Berlin, Dec. 15, 2025. (Lisi Niesner/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian officials person met with Witkoff and Kushner aggregate times successful Miami successful caller weeks to sermon imaginable elements of a bid program aimed astatine ending astir 4 years of fighting.

Zelenskyy said Monday that the draught bid model has been reduced to 20 points from 28 and includes projected information guarantees involving Ukraine, European allies and the United States, on with an archetypal outline for Ukraine’s post-war recovery.

The Ukrainian president said the model includes a abstracted papers connected bilateral information guarantees with the United States that would apt necessitate reappraisal by the U.S. Congress.

Zelenskyy cautioned that immoderate differences remain, noting that some Ukraine and Russia person positions they are not prepared to judge arsenic U.S. talks with Russian officials continue.

PUTIN REJECTS KEY PARTS OF US PEACE PLAN AS KREMLIN OFFICIAL WARNS EUROPE FACES NEW WAR RISK: REPORT

Paramedics dainty Valentina, who was wounded successful an onslaught connected a residential country successful Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, Dec. 15, 2025. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said astatine a property briefing Thursday that talks betwixt Washington and Moscow were moving guardant gradually, portion accusing unnamed Western European countries of trying to undermine the process.

Zakharova said negotiations had shown "slow but dependable progress," but were being accompanied by what she described arsenic "extremely harmful and adjacent malicious attempts" to derail diplomatic efforts, according to Russia’s state-run Tass quality agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested past week that Russia’s goals successful Ukraine are unchanged and volition beryllium accomplished either done negotiations oregon by further subject advances if diplomatic efforts fail.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks astatine a ceremonial awarding the Gold Star medal of the Hero of Russia aft the yearly committee gathering of the Defense Ministry successful Moscow connected Dec. 17, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

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"The goals of the peculiar subject cognition volition undoubtedly beryllium achieved," helium said, utilizing the Kremlin's word to notation to Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion.

"We would similar to execute this and code the basal causes of the struggle done diplomatic means. However, if the opposing broadside and its overseas patrons garbage to prosecute successful substantive dialogue, Russia volition execute the liberation of its humanities lands by subject means," the Russian person told subject officials, according to a transcript of the code released by the government.