The president of Ukraine, , has announced that they have delivered to the United States a new version of the draft peace agreement with Russia and has defended that any decision that affects the sovereignty of the eastern territories of the country currently occupied by Russia be resolved in a referendum.
Zelensky has explained that the version that has been delivered to the White House not only considers Ukraine’s position, but also that of Europe. “It is not a definitive plan, it is a reaction to what we received, to the previous conditions,” the Ukrainian president clarified in a meeting with the press in kyiv.
“Currently it is difficult to predict what the final documents will be. The Russians want everything, but we, of course, do not accept it,” said Zelensky, who explained that many of the issues to be discussed still depend on how the twenty key points of the draft are developed.
Regarding the sovereignty of the territories occupied by those of Ukraine, Zelensky has defended the need for the opinion of the people of Ukraine to be heard, whether through elections or a referendum. “There must be a position of the Ukrainian people,” he said, as reported by the agency. .
“The Ukrainian people will answer that question,” said Zelensky, who has pointed out that among the main disagreements is how to manage the situation in the Donetsk region, where Russia, with the approval of the United States, demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops, in exchange for not involving its own. “This is definitely not in the interest of Ukraine, but we must continue the talks and try to find answers to all the questions,” he said.
“This is definitely not in the interest of Ukraine, but we must continue the talks and try to find answers to all the questions.”
Among the points of friction is also everything that surrounds the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe and one of the main scenarios in which this war is being settled, between accusations crossed between the parties about the attacks by each other on these facilities.
Soldiers and guarantees
Zelensky has also said that they have received a proposal from the United States with possible security guarantees, which will be sent to him once they have analyzed it and included his own. “We will incorporate our ideas” and “in a few days we will deliver a document to the American side,” he said.
Regarding the size of the Armed Forces, Zelensky has stated that it will remain at 800,000 troops, a figure very similar to the current figure, according to the latest draft, after more significant limitations were proposed in previous plans. “We have finalized this point quite precisely,” he highlighted. In the first document, which so irritated kyiv, .
He has also reported that he has asked Parliament to prepare legislative amendments regarding the possibility of holding elections in times of war. “The most important thing is that they are carried out legitimately,” he said.
“If it is possible for our partners to help us organize the electoral process safely and within an appropriate time frame, I will support it,” said Zelensky, who also trusts in the support of the United States to persuade those states that still resist giving the green light to their entry into the European Union.
Zelensky believes that Trump “has certain tools of influence” to unblock Ukraine’s path to the European Union, although he has regretted that when it comes to NATO, the United States is not up to the task. “They don’t want to see us there (…) They didn’t invite us before and that position has not changed. That position has been a constant,” he stated.
Zelensky has also warned that the negotiation is subject to many risks and does not rule out that Russia will eventually back out. “We are doing everything possible to make it work. We are being constructive,” he said.
“I don’t see any demonstration that they want to end the war, but they don’t want it to be even more difficult economically, and it will be (…) It will be even more difficult if they tell Trump that they will not end the war, he will go further and increase the pressure,” Zelensky said.
Keir Starmer, Friedrich Merz, Volodimir Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron, at 10 Downing Street, December 8, 2025.
A “decisive” moment
The British Prime Minister, , and the rest of the allied leaders of the call agreed this Thursday that Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic region are facing a “decisive” moment while peace negotiations to end the conflict continue.
Starmer co-chaired a virtual meeting of the coalition, with approximately thirty leaders, where he “updated the allies about this week’s meetings with other international partners and about the continued intensive work on the peace plan led by the United States,” said a spokesperson for Downing Street – the British Prime Minister’s office – in a statement carried by local media.
“Everyone agreed that this is a decisive moment for Ukraine, its people and for shared security in the Euro-Atlantic region,” he commented.
Also present on the call, among others, was the Ukrainian president, Zelensky, who according to Downing Street, conveyed to the rest of the allied leaders the latest events of the continued Russian bombing in Ukraine and how it continues to “kill innocent civilians and destroy critical infrastructure.”
Likewise, during the meeting, the leaders of the Volunteer Coalition also discussed the “important progress” made in weakening Moscow’s war machine “through coordinated sanctions and coercive measures” and increasing aid to Ukraine. “They also discussed progress made in mobilizing frozen Russian sovereign assets,” the Downing Street spokesperson confirmed.
In particular, Starmer stressed that the United Kingdom will continue to work together with partners to maintain pressure on Russia and support Ukraine “for as long as necessary.”
In this sense, the leaders also agreed on the importance of continuing to support military financing, at a time when Ukraine begins what will be its fourth winter of war.
The meeting took place days after a first meeting between Starmer, the French president, Emmanuel Macron; the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and Zelensky in London and after a call between the first three and the American president, yesterday to address the peace plan promoted by Washington for Ukraine.
For his part, the Ukrainian president said this Thursday that he had received from the White House a security guarantee plan for Ukraine, which he will review with his team and which he will return adding his own proposals in a few days.
