① On December 18, U.S. President Trump again pressured Ukraine, urging it to act swiftly to advance the progress of the Russia-Ukraine “peace plan”; ② Trump stated that he believes negotiations regarding ending the war in Ukraine are nearing results ahead of meetings between U.S. and Russian officials this weekend.
According to CCTV News, on Thursday (December 18), Eastern Time, U.S. President Trump once again pressured Ukraine regarding the Russia-Ukraine “peace plan,” stating, “I hope Ukraine acts quickly.”
On the same day, Trump also said he believes that negotiations concerning an end to the war in Ukraine are “close to achieving results” before meetings between U.S. and Russian officials scheduled for this weekend.
Speaking from the Oval Office of the White House, he said, “They (the negotiating parties) are close to reaching certain outcomes, but I hope Ukraine will move quickly. You see, every time they take too long, Russia changes its mind.”
Two informed sources revealed on the 17th that U.S. and Russian officials are expected to meet in Miami, U.S., this weekend, although plans are still being finalized. One of the sources disclosed that the Russian delegation is expected to include Dmitryev, President of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, while the U.S. delegation will include Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East issues, and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
On Monday this week, U.S. representatives held a new round of talks with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Berlin, Germany. Meanwhile, Trump also spoke with Zelenskyy and leaders of several European countries including Germany and the UK about issues related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
After the meeting, U.S. officials indicated that approximately 90% of the issues between Ukraine and Russia have been resolved, stating that if necessary, the U.S. is prepared to go to Russia to further push forward the negotiations. Trump remarked that he believes there is now closer proximity to reaching a “peace agreement” to achieve peace between Russia and Ukraine than ever before.
However, in reality, the most challenging issue between the two sides remains unresolved—Russia insists on securing territorial concessions from Ukraine in any resolution, which continues to be a key condition for Russia to end the war. Public opinion polls in Ukraine show that few Ukrainians are willing to accept territorial compromises, while Russia has shown little willingness to make concessions.
“I hope Ukraine moves quickly because Russia is right there,” Trump emphasized, clearly referring to Russia’s recent advances on the battlefield.
In addition, regarding security arrangements, U.S. officials revealed on the 15th that significant progress has been made on the security guarantee document, with the concept described as being close to a “NATO Article 5”-style security guarantee mechanism. U.S. officials stated that a security arrangement akin to “NATO Article 5” is one of the elements Trump believes he can persuade Russia to accept.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov emphasized on the same day that reaching a legally binding document regarding Ukraine's non-accession to NATO is the cornerstone of peace talks, necessitating a special and separate discussion on this matter.
According to another report by CCTV News, Peskov stated on the 18th that there might be 'various economic issues' in the resolution of the Ukrainian issue. He emphasized that he did not wish to disclose further details as 'mediation efforts should be conducted quietly and discreetly.'
He also noted that Russia is not interested in rejoining the G7 and considers the bloc’s model outdated. The members of the G7 include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan, which expanded to the G8 in 1997 following Russia’s inclusion. In 2014, the original G7 members refused to hold meetings in the G8 format and resumed hosting G7 summits.
Editor/Doris