Ukraine to present revised peace plan to US ahead of new coalition talks

Ukraine was expected to give its latest peace proposals to US negotiators on Wednesday President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a day ahead of his urgent talks with leaders and officials from about 30 other countries supporting Kyivs effort to end the war with Russia on acceptable termsAs tension builds around a US push for a settlement German Chancellor Friedrich Merz British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to President Donald Trump by phone on Wednesday Negotiations are at a critical moment the European leaders said in official statementsTrump said the men discussed Ukraine in pretty strong terms He also said Zelenskyy has to be realistic about the war and that European leaders would like a meeting this coming weekend with both the US and UkraineWell make a determination depending on what they come back with the president told reporters during a questionandanswer session at the White HouseWashingtons goal of a swift compromise to stop the fighting that followed Russias fullscale invasion in 2022 is reducing Kyivs room for manoeuvring 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 demandsUkraines European allies are backing Zelenskys effort to ensure that any settlement is fair and deters future Russian attacks as well as accommodating Europes defence interestsThe French government said Ukraines allies dubbed the Coalition of the Willing will discuss the negotiations on Thursday by video Zelenskyy said the meeting would include those countries leaders We need to bring together 30 colleagues very quickly And its not easy but nevertheless we will do it he said late TuesdayZelenskyy said discussions with the US were scheduled later Wednesday to focus on a document detailing plans for Ukraines postwar reconstruction and economic development Also Ukraine is finalising work on a separate 20point framework for ending the war Zelenskyy said Kyiv expects to submit that document to Washington soonZelenskyy says hes ready for an electionAfter 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 alteredZelenskyys openness to an election was in response to Trumps comments questioning Ukraines democracy and suggesting 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 PutinZelenskyy said late Tuesday he is ready for an election but needs help from the US and possibly Europe to ensure its security He suggested Ukraine could hold balloting in 60 to 90 days if that proviso is metTo 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 electionsZelenskyy pointed out previously that balloting cannot legally happen while martial law imposed due to Russias invasion is in place He has also asked how a vote could occur when civilian areas of Ukraine are being bombarded and almost 20 per cent of the country is under Russian occupationUS seeks closer ties with RussiaA new US national security strategy released on December 5 made clear that Trump wants to improve Washingtons relationship with Moscow and reestablish strategic stability with Russia The document also portrays European allies as weakRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised Trumps 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 inevitableTrumps peace efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv The initial US proposal was heavily slanted toward Russias demands To counter that Zelenskyy has turned to his European supportersZelenskyy 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 XIVMilitary aid for Ukraine declinesEuropes 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 countriesForeign 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 WednesdayAverage annual aid mostly provided by the US and Europe was about 416 billion euros USD 484 billion between 2022 and 2024 But so far this year Ukraine has received just 325 billion euros USD 378 billion the Kiel Institute saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever