Overview
- Kyiv outlined a 20-point framework that would freeze forces on current lines, enable talks on demilitarized or economic special zones, and install international monitoring mechanisms.
- Zelensky said no consensus was reached with Washington on Donetsk or the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and he rejected a U.S. idea for joint Ukraine–U.S.–Russia operation of the facility.
- The revised text drops earlier demands for Ukraine to legally renounce NATO membership and for Ukrainian troop withdrawals, and it pairs ceasefire provisions with security guarantees and reconstruction financing.
- The document was sent to Moscow for comment, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov saying Russia is formulating its position, as France voiced support for U.S. efforts tied to robust security guarantees for Kyiv.
- Combat continues on the ground with Ukraine’s withdrawal from Siversk, major drone and missile barrages, and pollution reported off Odessa, while Zelensky’s Christmas address included a pointed remark widely read as referring to Vladimir Putin.