As the Russia-Ukraine war grinds toward its fourth winter, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have taken on renewed urgency, with the latest round of negotiations and political maneuvering drawing global attention. Over the weekend of December 6-8, 2025, the spotlight fell on a U.S.-authored peace proposal, the Trump administration’s updated national security strategy, and deadly Russian attacks that underscored the conflict’s persistent toll on Ukrainian civilians.
On December 7, 2025, President Donald Trump made waves by publicly claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hadn’t yet read a new U.S.-drafted peace plan intended to halt the war. Speaking to reporters at the Kennedy Center Honors, Trump expressed frustration at what he saw as a holdup in the peace process. “I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago. His people love it. But he hasn’t — Russia’s fine with it,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press. He added, “Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy’s fine with it. His people love it, but he hasn’t read it.”
Trump’s remarks came just after U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators finished three days of intensive talks in Florida, aimed at narrowing the differences over the U.S. administration’s peace proposal. While Trump implied that Russia and Ukrainian officials were broadly supportive, Russian President Vladimir Putin had, only a week earlier, dismissed some aspects of the proposal as unworkable—even though the draft was seen by many as favoring Moscow’s interests.
For his part, President Zelenskyy took a measured tone. On December 6, he reported a “substantive phone call” with American officials involved in the Florida talks, stating that he had received a detailed update. “Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media, as cited by AP News. This message signaled Ukraine’s willingness to continue negotiations, even as the details of the U.S. proposal remained under wraps and the country faced ongoing violence.
The diplomatic flurry coincided with a deadly uptick in Russian military activity. Between December 6 and 8, Ukrainian authorities reported at least four civilian deaths from a wave of Russian missile, drone, and shelling attacks. A man lost his life in a drone strike on the northern Chernihiv region on the night of December 6. That same night, a combined missile and drone assault targeted the industrial city of Kremenchuk—home to one of Ukraine’s largest oil refineries—causing significant power and water outages. Then, on December 7, Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region killed three people and wounded ten more, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
These attacks have become grimly routine for many Ukrainians. Kyiv and its Western allies accuse Russia of deliberately targeting energy infrastructure in a bid to “weaponize” the cold, hoping to deprive civilians of heat, light, and running water as winter sets in for a fourth consecutive year. The strategy, Ukrainian officials argue, aims to sap the population’s morale and force Kyiv to make concessions at the negotiating table.
The talks in Florida, which wrapped up just before the weekend’s violence, were described by outgoing U.S. Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg as being in “the last 10 meters.” Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum on December 6, Kellogg emphasized that a deal hinged on two thorny issues: control of the Donbas region and the fate of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. “Efforts to end the war are in the last 10 meters,” Kellogg said, highlighting the complexity of the remaining disputes. Notably, Kellogg, who is set to leave his post in January, was not physically present at the Florida talks.
The Donbas, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, remains largely under Russian control. Along with two southern regions, it was illegally annexed by Moscow three years ago—a move unrecognized by Ukraine and most of the international community. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, meanwhile, has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the invasion and is currently non-operational. Experts warn that the plant requires consistent power to cool its six shutdown reactors and spent nuclear fuel, lest a catastrophic incident occur.
Amid these fraught negotiations, the Trump administration’s updated national security strategy—released by the White House on December 5—added a new layer of complexity to the political landscape. The document, which spells out the administration’s core foreign policy interests, explicitly states that ending the war in Ukraine and improving relations with Russia are essential for “reestablishing strategic stability.”
The Kremlin responded positively to the new U.S. strategy. On December 7, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s Tass news agency that the document was “largely in line with Moscow’s vision.” Peskov praised its “statements against confrontation and in favor of dialogue and building good relations,” expressing hope that it would lead to “further constructive cooperation with Washington on the Ukrainian settlement.” This rare note of optimism from Moscow contrasted with the skepticism that has often characterized U.S.-Russia relations since the start of the war.
Despite these diplomatic signals, the realities on the ground remain harsh. The attacks on Kremenchuk and Kharkiv, along with the ongoing threat to the Zaporizhzhia plant, highlight the stakes for both negotiators and ordinary Ukrainians. Kremenchuk’s role as an industrial hub—and the repeated targeting of its infrastructure—underscores the Russian military’s intent to cripple Ukraine’s economic and civilian resilience.
Looking ahead, international diplomacy is set to intensify. Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are scheduled to meet with President Zelenskyy in London on December 8, a gathering that could shape the next phase of peace efforts. Western governments remain committed to supporting Ukraine, even as pressure mounts for a negotiated settlement that could bring an end to nearly four years of war.
As the world watches, the fate of the U.S. proposal—and the broader question of peace in Ukraine—hangs in the balance. With both hope and skepticism in the air, the coming weeks are likely to prove decisive for a conflict that has already reshaped the geopolitical landscape of Europe and beyond.