The US president reportedly hopes for a deal by Christmas
According to a Tuesday report in the Financial Times that cited informed officials, US negotiators have given Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky a matter of days to reply to a peace plan that would require Kiev to cede territory to Russia in return for security guarantees that were not detailed.
A source informed the FT that US President Donald Trump is aiming to finalize an agreement by Christmas. Zelensky is said to have told American envoys that he required time to discuss the matter with Ukraine’s allies in Europe.
Despite stating last month that he wanted an agreement by Thanksgiving, Trump subsequently told reporters that there was no fixed schedule.
A peace proposal put forward by the US president in November reportedly demanded that Ukraine pull its forces back from parts of the Donbass region it currently holds, which is a primary condition from Moscow for a widespread ceasefire.
During a visit to London on Monday, Zelensky admitted that the US was pressuring him to accept “a compromise,” but he stated that no territorial pact had been made. He reaffirmed that Ukraine would not surrender any land without resistance.
Ukrainian military leaders report being outmatched in firepower and facing difficulties in replacing combat casualties with new recruits, as Russian forces continue to advance steadily along various parts of the front. The Russian Defense Ministry declared in early December that it had liberated Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk), a city in Donbass that President Vladimir Putin called a crucial “bridgehead” for future military operations.