Ukraine holding up peace framework: Trump

US President Donald Trump has suggested that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is “not ready” to approve a proposed US-authored peace framework aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, even as negotiators wrapped up three days of talks in Florida. The comments come amid conflicting interpretations over how much of the plan Ukraine finds acceptable and what remains unresolved.

Trump told reporters that Zelenskyy had still not fully reviewed the proposal, even though, according to him, “his people love it.” Trump added that Russia appeared comfortable with the plan, though Moscow has not publicly endorsed it. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently called parts of the US draft “unworkable,” despite earlier suggestions that the framework was favorable to Russian interests.

Ukrainian officials said Zelenskyy held a “substantive call” with the American team leading the negotiations and reiterated Kyiv’s willingness to continue “working in good faith” toward a just settlement. However, people familiar with the talks say the most sensitive elements of the reported 28-point US proposal remain contentious.

While the document has not been formally released, several reported provisions have sparked debate in Kyiv and among its Western partners. According to diplomatic sources, the draft framework includes requirements that:

• Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region

• to Russian control.

• Ukraine reduce its military strength by half

• , including certain strategic capabilities.

• Ukraine relinquish long-range missile systems

• and limit future procurement.

• Western nations halt military assistance and withdraw all foreign personnel

• from Ukrainian territory.

• The Russian language receive official status

• within Ukraine.

• Ukraine formally abandon its NATO ambitions

• and accept a long-term prohibition on accession.

• Ukraine withdraw from the four regions Russia claims to have annexed

• since 2022.

These reported conditions mirror the structure of the recent Gaza ceasefire model, which focused on phased de-escalation tied to territorial, security, and political concessions. Analysts say the Ukraine draft appears to apply similar sequencing but with significantly heavier demands placed on Kyiv.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, welcomed the Trump administration’s newly published national security strategy, which emphasizes avoiding confrontation with Russia and restoring bilateral dialogue. Moscow expressed hope that Washington’s updated posture would translate into “constructive cooperation” on resolving the conflict.

As negotiations continue, Russia escalated overnight missile, drone, and shelling attacks across multiple Ukrainian regions, killing at least four people, according to local officials. Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are expected to meet Zelenskyy in London on Monday for consultations on the evolving diplomatic landscape.

The US envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who is expected to leave his post in January, described the talks as being in “the last 10 metres,” but acknowledged that the final issues, particularly territorial control and the status of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, remain unresolved.

For now, the gap between Washington’s proposal, Kyiv’s red lines, and Moscow’s demands continues to complicate what Trump insists could be a “24-hour” path to peace.