Zelensky hails ‘new ideas’ on peace after talk with US envoys

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky positively evaluated his meeting with US ambassadors on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Zelensky said Thursday’s meeting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which lasted about an hour, provided “new ideas in terms of formats, meetings and … timing on how to bring a real peace closer.”

He spoke a day after giving Details of the updated 20-point peace plan adopted by US and Ukrainian envoys in Florida.

Zelensky said he asked Witkoff and Kushner to convey Christmas greetings to US President Donald Trump and the entire Trump family.

The Kremlin said it was analyzing proposals brought by a Russian envoy from the United States.

Trump and his envoys are holding talks with both Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement to end the war that started when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Some progress appears to have been made in recent days, with Ukraine’s president praising the “good ideas” put forward by Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Kushner.

Zelensky said it was an “active day” for his country’s diplomacy as he went into detail with US envoys.

He acknowledged that there was still “work to be done on sensitive issues” but added that “together with the American team we are figuring out how to put all of this in place.”

Zelensky added that Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov will meet with the two ambassadors again soon.

The 20-point peace plan adopted by the United States and Ukraine is seen as an update of the plan prepared weeks ago by Witkoff and Russian negotiators, which is widely thought to address Russia’s demands.

Announcing the updated proposal on Wednesday, Zelensky said that this proposal offered Russia the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the east and the creation of a demilitarized zone in their place.

He said the plan now includes security guarantees from the United States, NATO and Europeans for a coordinated military intervention if Russia re-occupies Ukraine.

On the key question about Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, Zelensky said a “free economic zone” was a potential option. He emphasized that every region where Ukrainian troops were withdrawn should be supervised by Ukraine.

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was analyzing the proposals brought by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev from the United States.

“We analyze what Dmitriev conveyed [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s. “We are reviewing this material and will continue to communicate with Americans depending on the decisions taken by the head of state,” he said.

While diplomatic efforts to end the conflict take another step forward, clashes continue on the ground.

Ukraine’s military said on Thursday it had hit one of Russia’s major oil refineries in the southern Rostov region with cruise missiles.

The Novoshakhtinsk refinery near the Ukrainian border is critical to supplying fuel for Russian military operations in occupied eastern Ukraine.

Russia’s defense ministry said its forces took control of the Sviato-Pokrovske settlement in the Donetsk region.