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In a New Year address centered on continued resistance, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a peace agreement to end the nearly four-year conflict with Russia is "90% ready." Zelensky emphasized that the final 10% of negotiations will "determine the fate of peace" for both Ukraine and Europe. This diplomatic update contrasted sharply with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s own holiday message, in which he expressed unwavering confidence in his military, telling troops, "we believe in you and our victory.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Moscow also released what it said was evidence of Ukraine using drones to target Putin's private home on Lake Valdai in north-west Russia, allegations Kyiv has strenuously denied.
It included a map allegedly showing that the drones were launched from the Sumy and Chernihiv regions of Ukraine and a video of a downed drone lying in snowy woodland. A serviceman standing next to the wreckage claims it is a Ukrainian Chaklun drone.
Russia would review its position on the ongoing peace negotiations as a result of the alleged incident, the Kremlin said.
However, Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, on Wednesday described the Russian claims as a "deliberate distraction" and an attempt to derail the peace process.
In his 20-minute address to the nation, Zelensky said that Ukraine did not want peace "at any cost", adding that "we want the end of the war – not the end of Ukraine".
He said that a Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern Donbas region means "everything will be over", a reference to Russia's maximalist demand that Moscow secure full control of the industrial area in any peace agreement.
Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The two regions are known collectively as Donbas. Its fate has been a major obstacle throughout negotiations, with Russia consistently unwilling to compromise on its aim to seize full control of Donbas.
In the address, Zelensky thanked leaders that have supported Ukraine, but said that "intentions must become security guarantees, and therefore - be ratified".
Following talks between Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Florida earlier this week, the Ukrainian leader said Washington had offered security guarantees for 15 years - but a time frame for their implementation is not yet clear.
