Negotiations With US and Europeans ‘Very Close to Real Result’: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Dec. 22 that negotiations with the United States and Europe are “very close to a real result” in ending the war with Russia.

Officials from both Ukraine and Russia said their teams were returning home on Monday to report on discussions they held separately with U.S. negotiators in Miami, Florida.

“It all looks quite worthy. … And here it is important that this is the work of both us [Ukraine] and the United States of America. This suggests that we are very close to a real result,” Zelenskyy told a gathering of Ukrainian diplomats.

He added that the negotiators had been working on a 20-point plan, put forward by Washington, which has been under discussion for weeks after an initial 28-point draft was pilloried by Ukraine and its European allies for being too favorable to Russia.

“Not everything is ideal with this, but the plan is there,” Zelenskyy said.

“The basic block of all the documents is ready. It’s basic. There are some matters for which we are not prepared. And I am certain that there are matters for which the Russians are not prepared.”

Later, in his nightly address to the nation, the Ukrainian leader said the key issue was determining whether Washington could “elicit a response from Russia—a genuine willingness by that state to focus on something other than aggression.”

“A reduction in the price of Russian oil, strong global sanctions, and the continuation of all other forms of pressure are precisely what will persuade even such a stubborn person,” Zelenskyy said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Putin wages war as long as he has the money to buy the loyalty of his inner circle and the Russian population, while at the same time paying for killings on the front line,” he said, adding that “over the past year, much has already been done to reduce the amount of money available to the Russian war machine.”

Also being discussed are security guarantees to prevent future Russian attacks after the current war ends, and plans for the recovery of the Ukrainian economy after nearly four years of full-scale war.

Zelenskyy set out these guarantees in a post on X, listing them as keeping a standing, well-funded Ukrainian army of 800,000, membership of the European Union, the backing of the Coalition of the Willing, and legally binding security guarantees from the United States.

Ukrainian negotiators led by Rustem Umerov, along with representatives from its European allies, have held a series of meetings with U.S. envoys, most recently in Miami.

Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s investment envoy, has also been holding separate talks with U.S. officials in the same city.

Washington’s team has been fronted by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Trump, discussing the progress of the talks at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, told reporters that they were “going along,” but added that there was “tremendous hatred” between Putin and Zelenskyy.

When asked by reporters whether he had spoken to either of the leaders, he said, “I will do what I have to do” to end the war, saying that “the bottom line is, I think they’re all tired of that war. Everyone is tired of that war.”

Moscow, meanwhile, said it was looking to ensure a sustainable peace in Ukraine, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

“The temporary ceasefire plan will not move us forward,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

“We are not for a temporary ceasefire, we are for a sustainable cessation of hostilities within the framework of an agreement that will ensure the resolution of problems that are the root causes of this conflict, and that will guarantee Russia’s constitutional order, taking into account the decisions made by the population of the relevant territories in recent years.”

Discussing the ongoing negotiation process, Ryabkov declined to comment on “any potential linkages to electoral calendars in various countries.”

“We need to work in a focused manner, which is exactly what we are doing. The basis for our work are agreements that have been discussed in recent days, particularly during the meetings in Florida, and were originally outlined by the presidents [of Russia and the United States] when they held their meeting in Anchorage, Alaska,” he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.