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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The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
Türkiye and Iran have suspended day-trip passenger crossings at their shared border, Türkiye's trade minister said Monday, as a U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran entered its third day.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following recent military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on targets in Iran, as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
The UK said it's allowing the U.S. to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iran amid escalating missile attacks, after a suspected drone strike hit a British airbase in southern Cyprus, causing limited damage.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
European Union stands with its member states in the face of any threat, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in response to the drone strike that hit Britain's Royal Air Force base of Akrotiri in southern Cyprus overnight.
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