As diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war ramp up, the past week has seen a flurry of high-stakes negotiations, continued violence on the ground, and a renewed push from both sides’ international backers to broker a peace deal. Yet, despite three days of intense talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Florida, and a much-anticipated summit of European leaders in London, a comprehensive agreement remains elusive.
On December 7, 2025, US and Ukrainian negotiators wrapped up discussions in Florida aimed at narrowing differences over a US-authored peace proposal. The talks, which included President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, were described by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “constructive, although not easy.” In his nightly video address, Zelensky emphasized, “The American representatives know the basic Ukrainian positions. The conversation was constructive, although not easy.” According to Newsmax, he also stressed Ukraine’s determination to keep working with the US to “genuinely achieve peace.”
Despite the positive tone from Kyiv, President Trump voiced disappointment with Zelensky’s hesitancy. Speaking to reporters before attending the Kennedy Center Honors, Trump stated, “I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago. His people love it, but he hasn’t.” Trump added, “Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelensky’s fine with it. His people love it. But he isn’t ready.” As reported by Arab News, Trump has consistently urged Ukraine to cede territory to Russia to end the conflict, a stance that has drawn criticism from Kyiv and its European allies.
The original US proposal, a 28-point plan leaked in November, was widely seen as heavily favoring Moscow. Although subsequent revisions have sought to address some of Kyiv’s concerns, the latest version has not been shared publicly. Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, publicly dismissed aspects of the draft as “unworkable,” even though it was initially tilted in Russia’s favor. The Kremlin, however, welcomed the Trump administration’s updated national security strategy, which, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov in comments to Tass, “spells out the administration’s core foreign policy interests” and includes ending the war as a core US interest to “reestablish strategic stability with Russia.”
While diplomats huddled over draft proposals, the situation on the ground in Ukraine remained dire. Russian missile, drone, and shelling attacks killed at least four people over the weekend of December 6-7. In the northern Chernihiv region, a man died in a drone strike, while a combined missile and drone assault on the central city of Kremenchuk—an industrial hub and home to one of Ukraine’s largest oil refineries—caused widespread power and water outages. Kremenchuk’s mayor, Vitaliy Maletsk, described the assault as a “massive combined strike” that left parts of the city without basic services. The BBC reported that, as of Sunday morning, the full extent of the damage was still unclear, though no deaths had yet been confirmed in Kremenchuk itself.
Elsewhere, three people were killed and ten injured in shelling in the Kharkiv region, according to the regional prosecutor’s office. In the same region, Russian forces struck the Pechenihy dam, disrupting a key supply route for Ukrainian forces and raising the specter of catastrophic flooding should the dam be destroyed. Zelensky reported that, in the week leading up to December 7, Ukraine endured some 1,600 Russian drone attacks and 1,200 guided aerial bombs, underscoring the relentless nature of the conflict as winter set in.
“Almost every day and every night, our emergency services eliminate the consequences of Russian shelling of peaceful Ukrainian cities and communities,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. He continued, “We continue to work with partners to strengthen our defense in response to these strikes. The priority is obvious—more air-defense systems and missiles, more support for our defenders. Each agreement should be implemented faster.”
Amid the violence, Zelensky and his team shifted their focus to London, where he was due to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz—Europe’s so-called “big three.” The London summit, set for December 8, aimed to bolster Kyiv’s negotiating position and press for additional defensive weapons. Macron, writing on X, assured, “Ukraine can count on our unwavering support. That is the whole point of the efforts we have undertaken as part of the coalition of the willing.” Pat McFadden, a senior British cabinet minister, described the moment as “pivotal,” telling Sky News, “This is a really pivotal moment now. Everybody wants the war to come to an end, but they want it to come to an end in a way that gives Ukraine that freedom of choice in the future.”
European leaders have generally backed a step-by-step diplomatic process, tying any settlement to long-term security guarantees and continued military aid for Ukraine. French President Macron, UK Prime Minister Starmer, and German Chancellor Merz have all pressed for comprehensive security arrangements, including the possibility of a peacekeeping force—an idea flatly rejected by President Putin, who warned that any foreign troops deployed in Ukraine would be “legitimate targets.” According to the BBC, Sir Keir Starmer has championed a “coalition of the willing,” a group of allies committed to underwriting Ukraine’s defense even after a ceasefire, to deter any future Russian aggression.
Despite these efforts, progress remains slow. Outgoing US Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg, speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum, said, “We’re almost there,” but acknowledged that two major issues remain unresolved: the fate of the Donbas region and the status of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which remains under Russian control. “If we get those two issues settled, I think the rest of the things will work out fairly well,” Kellogg said. The Donbas, comprising Donetsk and Luhansk, along with other southern regions, was illegally annexed by Russia three years ago, and the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest, is a persistent source of concern due to the risk of nuclear disaster.
Meanwhile, US and Ukrainian negotiators issued a joint statement urging Russia to show a “serious commitment to long-term peace,” following Witkoff’s unsuccessful talks with Putin at the Kremlin. European leaders, too, have expressed frustration with Moscow’s perceived stalling tactics. “Ukraine deserves a dignified peace, and whether there will be peace depends entirely on Russia—on our collective pressure on Russia and on the sound negotiating positions of the United States, Europe, and all our other partners,” Zelensky wrote in a statement on X.
As the war nears its fourth year—the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two—the stakes could hardly be higher, and diplomats warn that the fragile talks remain vulnerable to shifts in US politics. For now, the world watches as Ukraine’s fate hangs in the balance, with the hope that diplomacy might finally bring an end to the bloodshed and restore a measure of stability to the region.
