Zelenskyy: Americans could hold talks with Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated that a US negotiation team may hold discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking to journalists on December 23, Zelenskyy said a series of meetings had taken place involving Ukrainian and American representatives, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

“There was a meeting with our team – Umerov and Hnatov. After that, the Americans met with Dmitriev. They explained everything, showed everything, and conveyed the information, as far as I understand,” Zelenskyy said.

He added that the format of any further discussions remained uncertain. “I don’t know in what format their next conversation will be. It could be with Putin. Probably tomorrow [Wednesday]. We should receive everything by tomorrow evening,” he said.

The most recent US-mediated discussions on ending the Ukraine war took place in Miami, Florida, wrapping up around December 21–22.

These separate shuttle diplomacy sessions involved US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner meeting first with Ukrainian and European representatives, followed by talks with Russia's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.

The focus was on refining a revised ~20-point US peace framework—covering security guarantees, territorial issues, ceasefire mechanisms, and economic reconstruction—evolving from an earlier proposal.

American and Ukrainian sides described the meetings as "productive and constructive," noting progress on aligning positions. However, Russia tempered expectations, with Kremlin officials calling European and Ukrainian amendments "unconstructive" and unlikely to advance peace prospects.

No breakthrough was achieved, with deep divisions persisting over territory (particularly Donbas) and guarantees. 

On December 24, Zelenskyy presented a revised 20-point draft peace plan aimed at ending Russia’s full-scale war, following weeks of talks with the United States, Kyiv Independent reports.

The original 28-point plan, considered by Kyiv to favour concessions, has been streamlined into a shorter framework. Alongside the peace plan, Ukraine and the US have prepared a three-party security guarantee involving Europe, a bilateral security pact with Washington, and an economic cooperation document described as a “roadmap for Ukraine’s prosperity.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev