Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky has ‘really good’ talks with Trump envoy as peace plan lands in Moscow

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland in an updated plan to end the war with Russia – if Moscow also pulled back from the area, creating a demilitarised zone.

Unveiling the latest 20-point plan thrashed out but not yet fully agreed with the US, Mr Zelensky said the Donbas region could become a “free economic zone”, but it was unclear how the fought-over area would be governed or developed.

The peace plan, which Mr Zelensky said would need to be put before a referendum, could also involve a similar arrangement around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control.

The plan, presented to reporters on Christmas Eve by the Ukrainian leader, marked the latest counter-proposal to an original 28-point document that was agreed by US envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russians.

Moscow has so far given no indication it will agree to withdrawal from land it has seized.

However, Volodymyr Zelensky said sensitive issues around territorial control in the country’s eastern industrial heartland, along with the management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), remain unresolved.

Appearing to refer to Russian president Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Today, we all share one dream.

“And we make one wish – for all of us. ‘May he perish’, each of us may think to ourselves. But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater, we ask for peace for Ukraine. We fight for it, we pray for it, we deserve it.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has alleged that Chinese satellites could be supporting Russia in its attacks on Ukraine.

“There have been correlations between Chinese satellite imaging of Ukrainian territory and Russian strikes on the corresponding energy infrastructure facilities,” Zelensky said in a social media post on Wednesday following a meeting with Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.

“We are recording increased ties between Russia and entities in China that may be providing space-based intelligence data.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukrainian representatives and US negotiators have discussed ways to bring “real peace closer” during a conversation on Christmas Day.

“It was a really good conversation: many details, good ideas, that we discussed,” Zelensky said on Telegram. “There are some new ideas on how to bring the real peace closer, and it concerns formats, meetings, and, certainly, the timeline.”

Earlier, we reported that the Ukrainian leader had taken part in a conversation with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and businessman Jared Kushner.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has appeared to wish for the death of Vladimir Putin in a Christmas message after Russia continued to bombard the country with missiles and drones.

In a video posted to X on Christmas Eve, Zelensky said that “despite all the suffering that Russia has brought, it is not capable of occupying or bombing what matters most. That is our Ukrainian heart, our faith in one another, and our unity”.

Appearing to refer to Russian president Vladimir Putin, Zelensky added: “Today, we all share one dream.

“And we make one wish – for all of us. ‘May he perish’, each of us may think to ourselves. But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater. we ask for peace for Ukraine. We fight for it, we pray for it, we deserve it.”

King Charles urged Brits to embrace the values of their Second World War generation as he delivered his annual Christmas address on Thursday.

“The end of the second world war is now remembered by fewer and fewer of us, as the years pass,” he said.

“But the courage and sacrifice of our servicemen and women, and the way communities came together in the face of such great challenge, carry a timeless message for us all.”

While required to remain apolitical, the monarch showed clear support for Ukraine with the choice to include a performance by a Ukrainian choir, wearing traditional Ukrainian “vyshyvanka” embroidered shirts, and the London-based Royal Opera Chorus.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner for a “constructive” conversation on a peace deal.

“Today we had a very good conversation with President Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,” he wrote in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday.

“I thank them for the constructive approach, the intensive work, and the kind words and Christmas greetings to the Ukrainian people. We are truly working 24/7 to bring closer the end of this brutal Russian war against Ukraine and to ensure that all documents and steps are realistic, effective, and reliable.”

He added that the group had discussed “certain substantive details of the ongoing work”. Zelensky said he was joined by Ukraine’s representative Rustem Umerov, Andrii Hnatov, Andrii Sybiha, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ihor Brusylo, and Oleksandr Bevz.

“Our entire diplomatic team is doing their utmost. We agreed that Rustem will speak again today with Steve and Jared,” he continued.

“We believe this is the right approach – not to lose a single day or a single opportunity that can bring the result closer. May today’s conversation become another step toward peace.”