Zelenskyy Discusses 'New Ideas' for Peace With Trump's Envoys; Key Territorial Issues Unresolved in 20-Point Plan

A path to peace in Ukraine may be inching forward, but the hardest questions remain unanswered. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he's discussed "new ideas" with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys, though crucial territorial issues are still off the table.

An Hour of Talks and 'New Ideas'

In a statement on the Telegram app on Thursday, December 25, President Zelenskyy said he spoke for about an hour with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner on how to end the war with Russia. "It was a really good conversation: many details, good ideas, that we discussed," Zelenskyy said. "There are some new ideas on how to bring the real peace closer, and it concerns formats, meetings, and, certainly, the timeline."

The Trump administration has been actively pushing for a deal to end the almost four-year-long war, with efforts led by Witkoff and Kushner slowly gaining traction in recent weeks.

The 20-Point Plan: Progress and Hurdles

Earlier this week, Zelenskyy presented a 20-point draft peace plan, describing it as the main framework for ending the conflict. The draft is a slimmed-down version of an original 28-point plan the U.S. had previously discussed with Russia, which was widely seen as favoring Moscow by demanding Kyiv cede territory and curb its military.

However, Zelenskyy acknowledged that key territorial questions remain unresolved in the new 20-point draft. He added that a direct meeting with President Trump would be required to solve the most sensitive issues.

Moscow's Cautious Stance

According to Reuters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Moscow was analyzing documents on ending the war, which were delivered by Russia's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev from the United States. The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Zelenskyy also mentioned that Ukraine's top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, planned to have another conversation with the U.S. negotiators later in the day.