Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in his New Year’s address that a comprehensive peace agreement to conclude nearly four years of conflict with Russia stands at 90% completion. The Ukrainian leader emphasized that the remaining 10% of negotiations would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe,” while asserting that Ukraine seeks “the end of the war – not the end of Ukraine.”
The diplomatic progress faces renewed challenges following Moscow’s allegations of a Ukrainian drone attack targeting President Vladimir Putin’s private residence at Lake Valdai. Russian authorities released purported evidence including flight path maps indicating drone launches from Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions, along with footage of wreckage identified as a Ukrainian Chaklun drone. The Kremlin announced it would reassess its negotiation stance due to these allegations, which Ukrainian officials and EU diplomat Kaja Kallas have dismissed as a “deliberate distraction” from peace efforts.
Central to the negotiation stalemate remains the status of Donbas, where Russia currently controls approximately 75% of Donetsk and 99% of Luhansk regions. Zelensky explicitly stated that Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern industrial heartland would mean “everything will be over,” referencing Moscow’s persistent demand for full control of the territory.
International involvement continues to intensify, with French President Emmanuel Macron announcing concrete commitments from European states and allies meeting in Paris on January 6. This follows high-level discussions between Zelensky and Trump administration advisers regarding proposed 15-year security guarantees for Ukraine. US special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed ongoing talks with UK, French, and German security counterparts about “strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms.”
Meanwhile, Putin’s considerably shorter New Year message praised Russian troops participating in what Moscow terms a “special military operation,” asserting that “we believe in you and our victory.” In a concerning development, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised his country’s “invincible alliance” with Moscow, with South Korean officials confirming Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops, missiles, and long-range weapons to support Russian operations, suffering an estimated 600 casualties.