Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv ‘responds to US peace plan’ as Trump ramps up pressure on Zelensky

Ukraine is expected to give its revised peace proposals to US negotiators on Wednesday, a day ahead of his urgent talks with leaders and officials from about 30 other countries.

Zelensky said discussions with the US were scheduled to focus on a document detailing plans for Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction and economic development.

Also, Ukraine is finalising work on a separate, 20-point framework for ending the war. Zelensky said Kyiv expects to submit that document to Washington soon.

Negotiations are at “a critical moment,” European leaders said in official statements.

Ukraine officially handed over its point-by-point response to the latest US peace plan, as reported by Axios.

This move comes amongst growing pressure from US president Donald Trump for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept the 20-point peace plan, which concedes major territorial losses.

Zelensky’s national security advisor and chief negotiator Rustem Umerov forwarded the Ukrainian response to Jared Kushner, Trump’s advisor and son-in-law.

The response includes comments and proposed ideas to “make the whole thing doable”, according to a Ukrainian official.

This follows days of consultations with European allies, including with Keir Starmer and the French president Emmanuel Macron and the German chancellor Friedrich Merz, who held a phone call with Trump on Wednesday.

A virtual meeting between the US and Ukraine is expected to take place on Thursday to continue discussions on the peace plan, a Ukrainian official said.

US president Donald Trump has commented on the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mr Trump said” “I think he has to be realistic. And I do wonder about, you know, how long is it going to be till they have an election democracy? It’s a long time they haven’t had an election in a long time. It’s losing a lot of people. And it’s possible that the people, if you look at the polls, I will say 82% there was a vote came out. 82% of the people are demanding a settlement be made.

“Ukrainian people, they want to see a settlement. And I understand that they’re losing thousands and thousands of people a week. They want to see it ended. And I do say, you know, at what point, when do they have a an election in Ukraine?

“That’s not casting dispersions on anybody, but they do have a massive corruption situation going on there. And they do say, you know, when, when are they people are asking this question, when do they have an election? Are they going to have an election, or are they going to just keep it going like this? So I think it’s time to get that war settled.”

US president, Donald Trump, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of using the war as an excuse to not hold elections.

In an interview with Politico, Mr Trump said: “They’re using war not to hold an election, but, uh, I would think the Ukrainian people … should have that choice. And maybe Zelenskyy would win. I don’t know who would win.

“But they haven’t had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”

This sentiment mirrors the Kremlin in Moscow’s stance using the expired term as a way of painting Zelensky as an illegitimate leader.

However, a wartime election would illegal as Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Although Zelenskyy’s term formally expired in May 2024, Ukraine’s constitution allows him to legitimately remain in office until a newly elected president is sworn in.

Any nationwide election would also pose security risks for citizens to gather as Russia bombs Ukraniain cities with missiles and drones.

Logistically, a nationwide ballot would prove impractical, given that approximately one-fifth of the country under Russian occupation and millions of Ukrainians displaced abroad, and it would be difficult for front-line soldiers to cast their votes.

Despite previously declining to hold election, Zelensky on Tuesday responded to Mr Trump’s criticisms, saying he was ready for elections.

He said: “I am now asking — and I am stating this openly — for the United States, possibly together with our European colleagues, to help me ensure security for holding elections,” he told reporters on WhatsApp. “And then, within the next 60–90 days, Ukraine will be ready to hold them.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has reaffirmed his strong refusal to cede any territory, resisting US pressure for painful concessions to Russia.

“Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don’t want to give up anything. That’s what we are fighting for,” Zelensky told reporters in a WhatsApp chat late on Monday.

“Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don’t have such right,” he said. “According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either,” he said.

In an interview with Politico released yesterday, US president Donald Trump pressed Zelensky to accept the US proposal that Ukraine cede territory to Russia, Trump has wrongfully argued Moscow has the “upper hand” in its nearly 4-year-old invasion, and that Zelensky’s government must “play ball”.

Vladimir Putin’s forces have not made any significant territorial gains, the Institute for the Study of War said.

“Russian forces have gained 0.77 percent of Ukrainian territory since the start of 2025 while suffering disproportionately high personnel costs,” the think tank said in an update last night.

Mr Zelensky hinted that “this week may bring news for all of us – and for bringing the bloodshed to an end.”

Mr Zelensky’s team is due to hand its latest peace proposals to United States negotiators and the Ukrainian president said Ukraine would hold talks with the US on plans for post-war reconstruction and economic development.

Meanwhile a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” – the countries led by the UK and France prepared to support Ukraine and deter Russia if there is a ceasefire – will take place on Thursday.

Ukraine is also working on a 20-point document “that could define the parameters for ending the war”.

A British soldier killed on duty in Ukraine has been named by the Ministry of Defence as 28-year-old Lance Corporal George Hooley of the Parachute Regiment.

Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to him at Prime Minister’s Questions. He said: “Lance Corporal Hooley was injured in a tragic accident away from the front lines while observing Ukrainian forces testing a new defensive capability.

“His life was full of courage and determination. He served our country with honour and distinction around the world in the cause of freedom and democracy, including as part of the small number of British personnel in Ukraine.”

Our senior reporter Dan Haygarth brings the report:

Sir Keir Starmer and European allies spoke to US president Donald Trump about securing a peace plan in Ukraine.

The prime minister was joined by French president Emmanual Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz in their talks with Mr Trump, as the US relationship with Europe remains precarious and strained.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The leaders discussed the latest on the ongoing US-led peace talks, welcoming their efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, and to see an end to the killing.

“Intensive work on the peace plan is continuing and will continue in the coming days.

“They agreed that this was a critical moment – for Ukraine, its people, and for shared security across the Euro-Atlantic region.”

Last week, a maternity hospital in Kherson, which was supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was damaged by an strike.

This latest attack comes amid new UNFPA data which shows the maternal mortality rate has risen by approximately 37 per cent in the past year, as repeated strikes on hospitals force women to give birth in increasingly dangerous conditions.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, more than 80 maternity and neonatal facilities have been damaged or destroyed, among the 2,763 healthcare sites hit nationwide.

Florence Bauer, UNFPA’s Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia said: “These are not abstract statistics – they are people and families living under unbearable stress and reflect a health system under attack. Safe childbirth must be protected even in war, and international humanitarian law is clear: health facilities, health workers and humanitarian access must never be targeted.”

Kherson City Clinical Hospital, the facility struck by artillery fire on 4 December , lies just 1.5 km from active front lines and remains under constant threat from artillery and drone attacks. During the strike, staff and patients sheltered in the bunkerised maternity unit constructed with UNFPA’s support. All personnel and patients were unharmed, and a baby girl was safely delivered during the attack.