Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country and European partners will soon be ready to present the United States with refined documents outlining a potential peace plan following days of high-stakes diplomacy.
He made the announcement on social media following a visit to Italy on Tuesday (9 December), where he met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Pope.
In a statement, Zelenskyy said new components of the deal hashed out with the British, French and German leaders in London on Monday are ready for U.S. review.
"The Ukrainian and European components are now more developed, and we are ready to present them to our partners in the U.S.," he wrote on X.
"Together with the American side, we expect to swiftly make the potential steps as doable as possible."
The president also highlighted that progress depends on Russia’s willingness to take effective steps to end the conflict and prevent further escalation. In the near future, Ukraine plans to send the refined documents to the U.S.
Ukrainian officials are seeking strong security guarantees from international partners to ensure that any agreement cannot be exploited by Russia in the future.
Kyiv is under pressure from the White House to secure a quick peace but is pushing back on a U.S.-backed plan proposed last month that many see as favourable to Moscow.
Ukrainian officials are also seeking strong security guarantees from partners, in the event of a deal, to prevent Russia from attacking again in the future.
Finland: 'Closer to a peace agreement'
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday that allies worked on three separate documents, including a 20-point framework, a set of security guarantees and a reconstruction plan.
"I think we are closer to a peace agreement than we have been at any time since the war began," he said at an event in Helsinki.
Stubb spoke as U.S. President Donald Trump piled new pressure on Zelenskyy to secure a deal that could involve painful concessions, citing Russia's "upper hand" as it advances on the battlefield.
Among other demands, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine must hand over its entire eastern Donbas region before Russia stops fighting, something which Zelenskyy has consistently rejected.
"They're much bigger. They're much stronger in that sense," Trump said in an interview with Politico.
He added that Zelenskyy would "have to get on the ball and start... accepting things."
UN Security Council
At a United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Tuesday (9 December), Deputy U.S. Ambassador Jennifer Locetta said the United States is working to bridge the divide between Moscow and Kyiv. She said the aim is to secure a permanent ceasefire and "a mutually agreed peace deal that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity for real prosperity."
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said “what we have on the table are fairly realistic proposals for long-term, lasting settlement of Ukrainian conflict, something that our U.S. colleagues are diligently working on.”
“History relentlessly demonstrates that every new proposal being put before Ukraine is less favourable to it than the last,” he told the council.
“Russia will achieve the objectives of its special military operation in any event. The only question is will we do this militarily or diplomatically? We reiterate that we prefer the latter course.”
Pope Leo XIV - Europe's unity is 'significant'
Pope Leo on Tuesday said Europe must play a central role in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, warning that any peace plan sidelining the continent is "not realistic."
Speaking to journalists hours after meeting President Zelenskyy, the pontiff said Europe's unity was "significant, especially in this case," and called on leaders to seize what he described as a great opportunity to work together for a just peace.
"The war is in Europe," he said, stressing that security guarantees must involve Europe. He lamented that "not everyone understands this," but insisted European countries be part of any negotiations to end the nearly four-year-old conflict.
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