Trump, who had previously called on Ukraine to give up territory, spoke of a “difficult question”. This point was probably also discussed in his conversation with Putin. Putin insists that Zelensky withdraw troops from Donetsk for peace.
As a compromise, Russia is at best willing to allow the National Guard and the police to take control of the area instead of soldiers. However, the Russian National Guard is also organized militarily. Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov said after the conversation between the Kremlin chief and Trump that Ukraine must make responsible decisions.
According to Ushakov, Putin once again made it clear in the phone call, which lasted one hour and 15 minutes, that the agreements discussed with Trump in August in Anchorage, Alaska, still apply to him. Putin had agreed to accept Trump’s 28-point plan as a basis for negotiations. However, a 20-point plan that Zelenskyj presented on Christmas Eve after negotiations with the US and Europeans was rejected in Moscow.
A working group will now be set up to solve further questions and will begin its work at the beginning of January. The US side includes Trump’s negotiator Steve Witkoff, the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chief of Staff Dan Caine.
What was striking was that neither Trump nor Zelensky spoke about concrete facts about possible progress. The US President reiterated that he believed that an end to the war could be brought about. But he also said it wasn’t a deal that could be agreed on in a day. He was conspicuously holding back. For Zelenskyj, security guarantees for Ukraine are particularly important so that the country is protected from future Russian attacks in the event of a ceasefire. The Ukrainian said that there was an agreement here. There was no confirmation of this.
Zelenskyj and Trump also spoke via video link with several European heads of state and government, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. The German politician wrote to X afterwards that it had been a good, hour-long conversation. “Good progress has been made which we welcome.” Europe is ready to continue working with Ukraine and the USA to consolidate this progress.
