On a chilly December weekend in 2025, the world watched as diplomatic tensions surrounding Ukraine’s future reached a fever pitch. U.S. President Donald Trump, never one to mince words, unleashed a barrage of criticism against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of not even reading a long-awaited American peace proposal designed to end the grinding war with Russia. “I’m disappointed in Zelenskyy for not having read the proposal yet. His people loved it, but he didn’t even read it,” Trump declared to reporters on December 7, as reported by EPA and N1. The pointed remarks, delivered at a Washington ceremony, underscored the mounting frustration in Washington over Kyiv’s hesitation and the delicate, high-stakes nature of the ongoing negotiations.
Trump’s comments came just days after the United States presented a substantially revised peace plan to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The amended document, delivered by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, was the product of several rounds of talks in Geneva and Florida aimed at making the proposal more palatable to Kyiv. Yet, as of early December, few details about the revised plan had trickled out to the public. According to N1 and EPA, the initial proposal, unveiled nearly three weeks prior, was widely criticized by both European Union and Ukrainian officials for heavily favoring Moscow. Among its most contentious points: recognition of Russian sovereignty over the disputed Donbass and Crimea regions, a reduction of the Ukrainian army by 200,000 troops to a force of 600,000, and a formal renunciation of NATO membership—currently enshrined in Ukraine’s Constitution.
“We spoke with (Russian) President Vladimir Putin, we spoke with Ukrainian leaders—including President Zelensky—and I must say I’m a bit disappointed that President Zelensky still hasn’t read the American proposal,” Trump reiterated, as quoted by N1. He went on to suggest that the plan “suits Russia; I think Russia would prefer to have the whole country, but I’m not sure it suits Zelensky.” The implication was clear: while Moscow appeared at least open to the terms, Kyiv’s top leadership was dragging its feet, possibly due to the plan’s perceived tilt toward Russian interests.
Behind the scenes, the diplomatic machinery was grinding at full speed. Zelenskyy’s negotiators had been locked in marathon sessions with Witkoff and Kushner in Miami, seeking to revise the U.S. draft and claw back concessions for Ukraine. Yet, the thorniest issue remained firmly on the table: territory. “The question of territory remained the most problematic issue. Putin does not want to enter into an agreement without territory. So they are looking for any options to ensure that Ukraine cedes territory,” an official familiar with the talks told AFP, as cited by News24Cobalt. The source added that American negotiators were applying pressure for a quick settlement: “The Americans are pressuring, like ‘faster, faster, faster’,” but Ukraine, wary of being rushed into a deal that could compromise its sovereignty, was “not ready to agree to everything without working out the details.”
The urgency from Washington was palpable. Trump, who had previously boasted he could resolve the conflict within 24 hours if returned to office, was now confronting the hard reality that peace in Ukraine was far more complex than anticipated. The United States’ push for a swift resolution was echoed by its European allies, though not without significant friction. On December 8, Zelenskyy embarked on a whirlwind diplomatic tour, meeting in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The high-level gathering, described by The Guardian as “a critical moment” for the embattled nation, aimed to secure a breakthrough by unlocking billions of pounds of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s war effort and reconstruction.
“A deal to unlock £100bn for Ukraine could occur within days,” reported The Times, citing optimism among European leaders following the Downing Street summit. The plan, however, faced stiff opposition from Belgium, which worried that freeing the funds could leave it “legally liable for a sum equal to a third of its annual GDP.” The stakes were enormous—not just for Ukraine’s immediate survival, but for the broader European security order.
After London, Zelenskyy continued to Brussels for talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa. The Brussels meeting, as detailed by News24Cobalt, was the latest leg in a series of urgent diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war. The conversations were shadowed by the ongoing threat of Russian cyber attacks and so-called “hybrid threats,” with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warning of escalating dangers to critical infrastructure and democratic institutions, according to The Independent.
The territorial question loomed large over all these discussions. Russia was demanding that Ukraine withdraw from roughly one-fifth of the eastern Donetsk region—territory that Moscow had not yet fully captured but where its forces were advancing at their fastest pace in a year. For Zelenskyy, the prospect of ceding any land remained anathema. “The territorial question is the most difficult,” he said last week, consistently ruling out concessions that would amount, in his view, to capitulation. As the war grinds on, the human cost continues to mount: tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, and eastern Ukraine devastated since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Amid these high-stakes negotiations, the mood among Ukraine’s Western allies was one of cautious determination. The United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany all signaled a willingness to support Ukraine, but also a desire to see an end to the conflict sooner rather than later. Yet, as the talks in Miami, London, and Brussels made clear, peace remains maddeningly elusive. The Americans want speed; the Ukrainians want security and dignity. The Russians want territory. And Europe, caught between legal, financial, and moral imperatives, is still searching for a path forward that doesn’t leave Ukraine’s fate in the hands of Moscow.
As the week drew to a close, the world’s eyes remained fixed on the outcome of these frantic diplomatic maneuvers. The next moves—by Kyiv, Moscow, Washington, and Brussels—could well determine whether Ukraine’s agony is prolonged or a just peace is finally within reach.
