Ukraine to give revised peace plans to US as Kyiv readies for more talks
with its coalition partners
[December 11, 2025]
By ILLIA NOVIKOV and DEREK GATOPOULOS
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said he and European
leaders discussed proposals to end the war in Ukraine in “pretty strong
terms” Wednesday, adding that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “has to be
realistic” about his country's position on a peace plan.
As tension builds around a U.S. push for a settlement, the leaders of
Germany, Britain and France spoke to Trump by phone and requested a
meeting this weekend with the U.S. and Ukraine, the U.S. president said.
“We’ll make a determination depending on what they come back with,” the
president told reporters during a question-and-answer session at the
White House.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was expected to give its latest
peace proposals to U.S. negotiators Wednesday, ahead of his urgent talks
Thursday with leaders and officials from about 30 countries supporting
Kyiv's effort to end the war with Russia on acceptable terms. The White
House did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday on whether that
happened.
Negotiations are at “a critical moment,” German Chancellor Friedrich
Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel
Macron said in a statement.
Washington’s goal of a swift compromise to stop the fighting that
followed Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 is reducing Kyiv’s room
for maneuvering. Zelenskyy is walking a tightrope between defending
Ukrainian interests and showing Trump he is willing to compromise, even
as Moscow shows no public sign of budging from its demands.
Ukraine’s European allies are backing Zelenskyy’s effort to ensure that
any settlement is fair and deters future Russian attacks, as well as
accommodating Europe’s defense interests.
The French government said Ukraine’s allies — dubbed the Coalition of
the Willing — will discuss the negotiations Thursday by video. Zelenskyy
said the meeting would include those countries’ leaders.
“We need to bring together 30 colleagues very quickly. And it’s not
easy, but nevertheless we will do it,” he said late Tuesday.
Zelenskyy said discussions with the U.S. were to focus on a document
detailing plans for Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction and economic
development. Also, Ukraine is finalizing work on a separate, 20-point
framework for ending the war that Zelenskyy said Kyiv expects to submit
to Washington soon.
Zelenskyy says he's ready for an election
After Trump called for a presidential election in Ukraine, Zelenskyy
said his country would be ready for such a vote within three months if
partners can guarantee safe balloting during wartime and if its
electoral law can be altered.
Zelenskyy's openness to an election was a response to comments by Trump
in which he questioned Ukraine’s democracy and suggested the Ukrainian
leader was using the war as an excuse not to stand before voters. Those
comments echo similar remarks often made by Russian President Vladimir
Putin.
Zelenskyy said late Tuesday he is “ready” for an election but needs help
from the U.S. and possibly Europe to ensure its security. He suggested
Ukraine could hold balloting in 60 to 90 days if that proviso is met.
“To hold elections, two issues must be addressed: primarily, security —
how to conduct them, how to do it under strikes, under missile attacks;
and a question regarding our military — how they would vote,” Zelenskyy
said. “And the second issue is the legislative framework required to
ensure the legitimacy of elections.”
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, looks back at the media in
Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung,
File)
Zelenskyy pointed out previously that balloting can’t legally happen
while martial law — imposed due to Russia’s invasion — is in place. He
has also asked how a vote could occur when civilian areas of Ukraine are
being bombarded and almost 20% of the country is under Russian
occupation.
Zelenskyy said he has asked lawmakers from his party to draw up
legislative proposals allowing for an election while Ukraine is under
martial law.
Ukrainians have on the whole supported Zelenskyy’s arguments, and have
not clamored for an election. Under the law that is in force,
Zelenskyy’s rule is legitimate.
Putin has repeatedly complained that Zelenskyy can’t legitimately
negotiate a peace settlement because his five-year term that began in
2019 has expired.
US seeks closer ties with Russia
A new U.S. national security strategy released Dec. 5 made clear that
Trump wants to improve Washington’s relationship with Moscow and
“reestablish strategic stability with Russia.” The document also
portrays European allies as weak.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised Trump’s role in the
Ukraine peace effort, telling the upper house of parliament that Moscow
appreciates his “commitment to dialogue.” Trump, Lavrov said, is “the
only Western leader” who shows “an understanding of the reasons that
made war in Ukraine inevitable.”
Trump’s peace efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands from
Moscow and Kyiv.
The initial U.S. proposal was heavily slanted toward Russia’s demands.
To counter that, Zelenskyy has turned to his European supporters.
Zelenskyy met this week with the leaders of Britain, Germany and France
in London, the heads of NATO and the European Union in Brussels, and
then went to Rome to meet the Italian premier and Pope Leo XIV.
Military aid for Ukraine declines
Europe’s support is uneven, however, and that has meant a decrease in
military aid since the Trump administration this year cut off supplies
to Kyiv unless they were paid for by other NATO countries.
Foreign military help for Ukraine fell sharply over the summer, and that
trend continued through September and October, a German body that tracks
international help for Ukraine said Wednesday.
Average annual aid, mostly provided by the U.S. and Europe, was about
41.6 billion euros ($48.4 billion) between 2022 and 2024. But so far
this year, Ukraine has received just 32.5 billion euros ($37.8 billion),
the Kiel Institute said.
This year, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have substantially
increased their help for Ukraine, while Germany nearly tripled its
average monthly allocations, and France and the U.K. both more than
doubled their contributions, the Kiel Institute said.
On the other hand, it said, Spain recorded no new military aid for Kyiv
in 2025 while Italy reduced its low contributions by 15% compared with
2022–2024.
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Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Sylvie Corbet in Paris,
Geir Moulson in Berlin and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to
this report.
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