Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a potential peace agreement with Russia is close to completion, telling the nation in a New Year address that negotiations are “90 percent ready” as the war approaches its fourth year.
Speaking from Kyiv, Zelensky said the final phase of any deal would be decisive not only for Ukraine but for Europe as a whole. “The remaining 10 percent will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine, and the fate of Europe,” he said.
Zelensky used his address to underline that Kyiv wants an end to the war but not at the expense of its survival as a state. “We want the end of the war, not the end of Ukraine,” he said, rejecting Russian demands that Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donbas region.
Russia currently controls about three quarters of Ukraine’s Donetsk region and nearly all of neighboring Luhansk, areas Moscow has insisted must fall entirely under its control in any settlement. Ukrainian officials say such terms remain unacceptable.
Zelensky also called on Ukraine’s partners to turn political support into binding security guarantees. Referring to recent talks with United States President Donald Trump, he said Washington had proposed security assurances lasting 15 years, though the timing and scope remain unclear.
“Signatures under weak agreements only fuel war,” Zelensky said. “Either the world stops Russia’s war, or Russia drags the world into its war.”
In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin struck a sharply different tone. In a brief New Year address, he told Russian troops, “We believe in you and our victory,” again framing the invasion as a defensive campaign.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russian authorities released what they claimed was evidence that Ukrainian drones had targeted Putin’s private residence near Lake Valdai in north western Russia. The material included a map showing alleged launch sites in Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions and footage of a downed drone in snowy woodland.
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Kyiv denied the allegations. The BBC and other outlets have said the footage could not be independently verified, and its location remains unclear.
The Kremlin said it would reassess its position in ongoing peace talks following the alleged incident. However, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas dismissed the claims, calling them a “deliberate distraction” aimed at derailing negotiations.
Zelensky has said he wants peace talks to intensify this month with both American and European involvement. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that European leaders and allies will meet in Paris on January 6 to discuss concrete commitments to Ukraine’s security.
Trump’s advisers also held talks this week with Ukrainian officials and national security advisers from Britain, France, and Germany. United States special envoy Steve Witkoff said the discussions focused on strengthening security guarantees and preventing the conflict from restarting.
