Media: White House pushes for Ukraine-Russia peace deal before Christmas

The White House seeks to push Russia and Ukraine toward a peace deal by Christmas, a senior US official told Politico.

“… there were suggestions from the American side that their offer may be time-limited, as the White House seeks to push the warring sides toward a peace deal by Christmas,” Caliber.Az quotes the official as saying.

If the White House’s goal fails, the United States' offer of security guarantees may be retracted, the US warned.

“The basis of that agreement is basically to have really, really strong guarantees, Article 5-like. Those guarantees will not be on the table forever. Those guarantees are on the table right now if there’s a conclusion that’s reached in a good way,” said the official.

Privately, some European diplomats are reluctant to put their faith in a White House that has revealed new levels of hostility toward their continent in recent days. Others are not convinced that the security guarantee would work without giving Ukraine NATO membership.

“Where’s the credibility?” one European diplomat asked. “Article 5 without membership will just encourage Russia to try and test it.”

The most recent talks on ending the war in Ukraine took place on December 14-15 in Berlin between Ukraine's leader Zelenskyy, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and European leaders. The leaders, hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, represented the most intensive multilateral effort yet to refine a U.S.-backed peace framework. Participants included French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The talks built on prior U.S.-mediated shuttles and aimed to align positions before potential year-end breakthroughs.

Participants described "real progress," with U.S. officials claiming 90–95% of a 20-point draft peace plan resolved. The talks refined Trump's initial proposals, shifting from demands for territorial concessions toward compromise formulas emphasising security and economic arrangements. 

European leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, opposed any repetition of the “Minsk” agreements, and suggested considering a temporary Christmas ceasefire. The discussions also addressed the possible deployment of multinational forces, mechanisms to monitor a ceasefire, and Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction while maintaining frozen Russian assets.

U.S. officials said peace is “closer than ever,” though the territorial issue remains the most challenging. Ukraine continues to insist that any territorial concessions are unacceptable, particularly with Zelenskyy ruling out ceding Donbas to Russia.  

By Khagan Isayev