Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced optimism on Thursday regarding the advancement of peace talks following discussions with Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Zelenskyy shared that the Christmas Day dialogue focused on ongoing initiatives to end the conflict and pave the way for a sustainable and enduring peace.

“Today, we had a very productive conversation with President Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. He expressed gratitude for their “intensive work” and “constructive approach” to the discussions.

“We are genuinely working around the clock to hasten the conclusion of this brutal Russian war against Ukraine, ensuring that all agreements and actions are realistic, effective, and reliable,” Zelenskyy stated.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and other European leaders gathered for a photograph during their meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin on December 15, 2025. (Lisi Niesner/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian officials have met with Witkoff and Kushner multiple times in Miami in recent weeks to discuss possible elements of a peace plan aimed at ending nearly four years of fighting.

Zelenskyy said Monday that the draft peace framework has been reduced to 20 points from 28 and includes proposed security guarantees involving Ukraine, European allies and the United States, along with an initial outline for Ukraine’s post-war recovery.

The Ukrainian president said the framework includes a separate document on bilateral security guarantees with the United States that would likely require review by the U.S. Congress.

Zelenskyy cautioned that some differences remain, noting that both Ukraine and Russia have positions they are not prepared to accept as U.S. talks with Russian officials continue.

Paramedics treat Valentina, who was wounded in an attack on a residential area in Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, Dec. 15, 2025. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing Thursday that talks between Washington and Moscow were moving forward gradually, while accusing unnamed Western European countries of trying to undermine the process.

Zakharova said negotiations had shown “slow but steady progress,” but were being accompanied by what she described as “extremely harmful and even malicious attempts” to derail diplomatic efforts, according to Russia’s state-run Tass news agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested last week that Russia’s goals in Ukraine are unchanged and will be accomplished either through negotiations or by further military advances if diplomatic efforts fail.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a ceremony awarding the Gold Star medal of the Hero of Russia after the annual board meeting of the Defense Ministry in Moscow on Dec. 17, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

“The goals of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved,” he said, using the Kremlin’s term to refer to Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion.

“We would prefer to accomplish this and address the root causes of the conflict through diplomatic means. However, if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means,” the Russian leader told military officials, according to a transcript of the speech released by the government.