Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow will achieve its goals and dismissed the idea of war with the West. This comes as the European Union considers taking Russian funds to support Ukraine during a difficult fourth winter of the conflict.
In a meeting with Ministry of Defence officials, Putin, as reported by state media, called the West’s calls for war preparation “hysteria and a lie.” He stated that the Kremlin will definitely reach its war goals and mentioned that 300 territories were “liberated” last year.
Putin repeated that Moscow prefers to solve the root causes of the conflict through negotiation, but it is also ready to use military action to “liberate its historical lands” if the West does not engage in important discussions.
These comments come one day before EU leaders meet to discuss whether to use part of the 210 billion euros ($246 billion) in Russian central bank assets in Europe to support Ukraine’s economic and military needs.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU lawmakers, “It is clear that we must decide on funding Ukraine for the next two years during this European Council meeting.”
European Council President António Costa, who will lead the summit, promised to keep the negotiations going until an agreement is reached, even if it takes several days.
European Union officials want to use frozen Russian assets to support a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan for Ukraine. However, some countries, like Belgium and Italy, have raised concerns about the legality of this idea and have either rejected it or expressed serious doubts.
In a speech to the Italian parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said negotiations in Berlin were “constructive.” She accused Russia of making unreasonable demands to keep Ukrainian territory in any agreements. She admitted that finding a legal way to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine is difficult. She stated that Italy needs a strong legal basis for any actions taken.
The UK Government will Donate £2.5 billion to the Ukrainians
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced in the House of Commons that his government will officially instruct the transfer of £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) from Roman Abramovich’s sale of Chelsea FC to help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Starmer said the Russian billionaire, who sold the club in 2022 due to pressure from the British government after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, must “pay up.”
On the battlefield, Ukraine said it had taken 90 percent of the town of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, which Russia claimed to have captured in November. Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said during a televised meeting that Ukrainian forces were unsuccessfully trying to control Kupiansk.
Russia claims to control all of Crimea, about 90 percent of the eastern Donbas region (including Donetsk and Luhansk), and 75 percent of Kherson and Zaporizhia. Russia also holds some territories in the nearby regions of Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv.
Recently, both Russia and Ukraine have increased their attacks on each other’s energy sites and oil refineries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that China is working to strengthen its cooperation with Russia, especially in military production. This comes as their relationship deepens since Russia invaded Ukraine.
On social media, Zelensky shared a report from the head of Ukraine’s foreign intelligence agency. The report highlights that Russia relies on Chinese investment, technology, and political support.
Zelensky mentioned that intelligence partners have also seen the increased cooperation between China and Russia in the military sector. He has directed Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service to watch this cooperation closely, focusing on how it affects Ukraine and its Western allies.
“Global security must not be put at risk, as Russia’s desire for aggression continues,” he said.
The report highlights that parts of Russian territory are becoming less independent as they increasingly favor Beijing. This is happening mainly through the use of resource-rich land and the sale of valuable resources to China.
Despite Western pressure, China has grown closer to Russia since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
China claims to be neutral in the conflict and has kept a low profile during global efforts to negotiate peace. However, many have urged China to use its influence over Moscow. Russia relies heavily on China to lessen the impact of Western sanctions.
In September, leaders from China and Russia discussed their idea for a new international order at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. Last month, during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to increase investment and strengthen economic ties between their countries. He called this closer relationship a “shared strategic choice.”
Xi mentioned several areas where they could work together, including aerospace, energy, agriculture, and the digital economy.
Coalition of the Willing to Meet
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Ukrainian officials will soon share their latest proposals to end the war with U.S. negotiators. This comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a settlement.
Zelensky will discuss these negotiations in a video call on Thursday with leaders from about 30 of Ukraine’s allies, part of the “Coalition of the Willing,” led by France and the United Kingdom. The French presidency confirmed that the call will happen.
Ukraine’s European allies support President Zelensky’s goal of reaching a fair peace agreement that will stop future Russian attacks in Europe. They are concerned that Trump’s push for a quick deal could lead to an agreement that helps Russia.
In response to Trump’s comments suggesting that Zelensky is using the war to avoid elections, Zelensky said Ukraine could hold a vote within three months if its partners guarantee safety during wartime and adjust the electoral law.
“To hold elections, we must answer two main questions: First, how can we ensure security during the elections while facing attacks, and how will our military vote?” Zelensky explained.
“The second question is the legal framework needed to make sure the elections are legitimate,” he noted, pointing out that elections cannot happen during martial law.
Hospital Shelled in Russian-Controlled Kherson
Fighting continues in the war as peace talks go on.
In the southern Kherson region of Ukraine, controlled by Russia, Ukrainian shelling has killed three hospital workers and injured two others. Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed governor, shared this information on Telegram. One of the injured workers is in intensive care.
Separately, Russian drones attacked the gas transport system in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, reported Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk. Heavy fighting is also happening in Pokrovsk, in the eastern Donbas region, where Ukraine’s military is defending against a Russian mechanized attack.
A new peace proposal for Ukraine, created by the Trump administration, may call on Ukraine to give up the eastern Donbas region and limit its military in return for security guarantees from the United States, according to a Western official involved in the talks.
U.S. officials have indicated that the plan is still in development and that a final agreement will need both sides to make compromises, not just Ukraine. Some points being discussed, which seem to align with Moscow’s demands, are not final and are likely to change.
The 28-point plan has the support of President Donald Trump and is the White House’s current effort to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Some ideas, like giving up land in areas not controlled by Russia, have been rejected by Ukraine in the past. However, U.S. officials see a chance to restart peace talks. The plan is still being outlined, and many details have not yet been decided.
“President Trump wants to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. He is frustrated that both sides have not reached a peace agreement,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “Despite this, the President and his team are working on a clear plan to stop the fighting and create lasting peace.”
List of Potential Ideas
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late Wednesday that the document is more of a “list of potential ideas” rather than a finished proposal. “Ending a complex and deadly war like the one in Ukraine needs a serious exchange of realistic ideas,” he wrote in a post on X. “To achieve lasting peace, both sides must agree to tough but necessary compromises. That’s why we are and will continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides.”
However, some of the suggestions may upset Ukraine and its supporters because they require significant land givebacks. The two regions in Donbas, Luhansk and Donetsk, are still partly controlled by Ukraine.
In the disputed areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the current battle lines would stay the same, according to a Western official familiar with the discussions. Moscow has previously asked that Kyiv give up these regions entirely. In one scenario, Ukraine would also need to reduce its military size and cut back on some of its military capabilities, including certain powerful weapons it has received during the war.
Other topics being discussed include the role of the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine after the war ends. The plan also offers U.S.-backed security guarantees to make sure that Russia cannot invade further or expand its conflict into Europe. A Western official shared these details about the document. This proposal is similar to a peace plan discussed in Istanbul during the early days of the war in 2022 and repeats some of Moscow’s broader demands regarding Ukraine’s military and alliances.
Talks in Ukraine
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine on Thursday and presented the Trump administration’s proposed peace plan, according to a U.S. defense official speaking to CNN. The official clarified that the U.S. expects Zelensky to sign a framework with the U.S. aimed at working towards a future peace agreement, rather than committing to a final peace deal at this stage.
The specifics of the timeline and whether Zelensky agreed to the proposed points remain unclear. European and Ukrainian officials told reporters on Wednesday that the plan appears to include unacceptable and maximalist demands from Russia, including the cession of territory in the eastern Donbas region that Russia does not currently control.
However, the Ukrainian presidential office noted on X on Thursday that “the President of Ukraine has officially received a draft plan from the American side that, in their assessment, could help reinvigorate diplomacy.”
The presidential office stated that “the President of Ukraine outlined the fundamental principles that matter to our people. Following today’s meeting, the parties agreed to work on the plan’s provisions in a way that would lead to a just end to the war.” Zelensky also expects to speak with Trump in the coming days.
When asked why the Army was tasked with delivering the peace plan instead of diplomats, the defense official explained that the Army “comes from a trusted position” with the Ukrainians and is already in Ukraine to attend meetings on battlefield innovation, a topic Driscoll has been deeply involved with during his tenure as secretary.
“We come from a trusted position. The U.S. Army is a proven ally of Ukraine,” the official added.
‘Groundhog Day’
A European diplomat supported a Western official’s view of a proposal that has received a lot of attention. The diplomat said this new plan repeats many of Moscow’s strong demands from 2022 and reminded them of the movie “Groundhog Day,” where events keep happening over and over. A European envoy based in Ukraine expressed that the proposal had completely caught the diplomatic community off guard.
“This has all been discussed before and rejected, and now we’re back to square one,” the diplomat stated. “For the Ukrainians, this is simply a non-starter, and for good reason. Accepting it would only invite the Russians to return at a future date. It would be political suicide for any Ukrainian leader to agree to this, and military suicide to hand over that fortified area.”
The diplomat also mentioned that foreign ministries across Europe and elsewhere were reaching out to contacts in Washington for guidance on the proposal, only to discover that officials there were also unaware of it.
“We have heard directly from people in the State Department and on Capitol Hill that nobody knew anything about this plan until it was leaked yesterday,” the diplomat reported. “People who should have been informed knew nothing about it. There’s a lot of annoyance and confusion.”
Any Plans Should Involve Europe
In her first public comments since the emergence of the reports, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, told reporters on Thursday that “for any plan to work, it needs the support of Ukrainians and Europeans.”
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, also remarked to CNN that any plans should involve Europe and preserve Kyiv’s ability to defend itself. “We have a much bigger stake in this than the U.S., and therefore Ukraine, as well as Europe, must be involved,” he asserted.
According to CNN, Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been leading the initiative. A source indicated that negotiations have accelerated this week as the administration believes the Kremlin has shown renewed openness to a deal. A U.S. official stated that Witkoff had been quietly working on the plan for a month, gathering input from both the Ukrainians and the Russians regarding acceptable terms.
