In the latest twist of the ongoing diplomatic saga over Russia’s war in Ukraine, Kyiv and its European partners have submitted a revised peace framework to Washington, hoping to reshape the contours of a deal that could finally end nearly four years of brutal conflict. The move, confirmed by both Ukrainian officials and European diplomatic sources, comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration pushes for a breakthrough by Christmas—though, as of now, the prospects for a comprehensive agreement remain uncertain.
The flurry of activity follows months of intense negotiations, with the United States acting as the primary mediator between Kyiv and Moscow. According to The Kyiv Independent, the next round of high-level talks is scheduled for December 13, 2025, in Berlin, where Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The Trump administration has made clear its impatience with the pace of diplomacy, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt bluntly stating that President Trump is “sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting.”
The revised proposals from Kyiv and European capitals focus on altering provisions in the original U.S. plan, which many in Ukraine and Europe saw as overly favorable to Moscow. At the heart of the dispute are demands for sweeping territorial concessions from Ukraine—specifically, the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from unoccupied parts of Donbas, the status of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and the scope of future security guarantees. Speaking to reporters on December 8, Zelensky emphasized, “I believe that the Ukrainian people will answer this question. Whether in the form of elections or a referendum, the Ukrainian people must have a say.” However, as he pointed out, holding a national referendum or elections would require safe conditions and full voter access—an impossibility during wartime without external guarantees.
The territorial question remains the most intractable. Russia continues to demand Ukraine’s withdrawal from the eastern Donbas region, including parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts that Moscow has failed to seize outright. As of early December, Ukrainian forces still held about 6,600 square kilometers of Donetsk Oblast, including key cities like Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, with fierce fighting ongoing in Pokrovsk. The Kremlin’s position, reiterated by aide Yuri Ushakov on December 12, is uncompromising: “The whole Donbas belongs to Russia.”
Against this backdrop, Washington has floated what it calls a “compromise vision.” Under the proposal, Ukrainian troops would withdraw from Donetsk Oblast, while Russian forces would refrain from entering the vacated territory. The plan also suggests the creation of either a “free economic zone,” as Washington prefers to call it, or a “demilitarized zone,” as Moscow puts it. Zelensky, however, remains skeptical. “What will restrain [Russia] from advancing? Or from infiltrating disguised as civilians?” he asked, echoing widespread concerns in Kyiv about the enforceability of such arrangements.
Security guarantees form the other major pillar of the negotiations. In a notable shift, President Trump indicated on December 11 that the U.S. is now willing to participate in providing security assurances for Ukraine. “Yeah, we would help. I think, a necessary factor in getting it done,” he said—a reversal from his earlier insistence that Europe should take the lead. Yet, NATO membership for Ukraine is still off the table. As Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent on December 9, “The U.S. is not yet ready to see Ukraine in NATO,” adding that Kyiv’s current focus is on securing effective guarantees from Europe’s so-called Coalition of the Willing and, crucially, from the U.S. These would ideally be approved by Congress and include weapons, sanctions, and perhaps even Article 5-like commitments—though, as Zelensky admitted, “we haven’t worked out the details yet.”
European partners, meanwhile, have found themselves largely excluded from the direct talks shaping their own continent’s security. A senior French presidency official told Arab News on December 13 that, “Our goal is to have a common foundation that is solid for negotiation. This common ground must unite Ukrainians, Americans and Europeans.” The official acknowledged there was no joint peace document yet, but insisted that negotiations would continue in the coming days. European leaders have been working frantically to refine the original U.S. proposals, which had envisaged Kyiv giving up swathes of its territory, abandoning its NATO ambitions, and accepting limits on the size of its armed forces. The European perspective on Ukraine’s future, the official said, is “clear and it’s a realistic perspective.”
Behind closed doors, European officials have expressed deep unease about the direction of the talks. Some have warned Zelensky that the U.S. cannot be fully trusted and that Europe must be prepared to act alone if necessary. The optics of Washington negotiating directly with Moscow—and then presenting Ukraine and Europe with a near-final framework—have not gone unnoticed in Brussels, London, or Paris.
As the diplomatic maneuvering continues, the situation on the ground remains dire. In the days leading up to the Berlin summit, Ukraine was hit by a massive series of Russian bombardments in the south, with over 450 drones and 30 missiles launched overnight, according to BBC News. Civilian facilities, including energy and industrial infrastructure, were targeted, leaving thousands without electricity across seven regions. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, located in Russian-controlled territory, temporarily lost all offsite power due to military activities affecting the electrical grid, though it was later reconnected. In Russia, two people were killed in Saratov after a drone strike hit a residential building.
The financial stakes are also enormous. Ukraine’s government faces a daunting funding gap, needing to secure an additional €135.7 billion over the next two years. In a significant development, European Union governments agreed on Friday to indefinitely freeze around €210 billion worth of Russian assets held in Europe, with the hope that these funds can be loaned back to Ukraine if a peace deal is reached. The Kremlin has condemned this move as theft and threatened legal action against Euroclear, the Belgian bank where most of the assets are held.
Meanwhile, the latest version of the peace plan reportedly envisions Ukraine joining the European Union as soon as January 2027—a prospect that Brussels appears to support, though Washington’s position on the matter remains unclear. Ukraine formally applied to join the EU days after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, but despite promises of an accelerated process, membership is still several years away.
Despite the many hurdles, diplomats on all sides continue to express hope that a joint position can be found. As a French presidency official put it, “It should allow us, together, to make a negotiating offer, a solid, lasting peace offer that respects international law and Ukraine’s sovereign interests, an offer that American negotiators are willing to bring to the Russians.” For now, however, the path to peace remains as fraught and uncertain as ever, with the future of Ukraine—and the security architecture of Europe—hanging in the balance.
