Overview
- Ukraine’s presidential press service said Volodymyr Zelensky reached Rome on December 9 for an audience with Pope Leo XIV and a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
- Zelensky reported that in Brussels he met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss work with American partners on steps for peace, security guarantees and resilience.
- On December 8 in London, Zelensky met Germany’s Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron to coordinate diplomacy with the United States and affirm priorities on security guarantees, reconstruction and next steps.
- The latest outreach follows a Moscow meeting last week where U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner discussed peace parameters with Vladimir Putin, who later said Russia rejected parts of the U.S. plan.
- A Ukrainian delegation continued talks in the United States with the Trump administration, as Trump said on December 8 that Zelensky had not yet reviewed U.S. proposals and Zelensky noted ongoing disagreements over territory.