Ukraine, US discuss safeguards against Russian strikes, potential ceasefire violations, Zelensky says
Kyiv and the U.S. discussed steps to safeguard Ukraine from Russian strikes and prevent Moscow from violating a potential ceasefire agreement, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 2 after talks in Florida.
The president did not provide further details on the issue.
Zelensky said that he received a "thorough report" from Ukrainian negotiators, including National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who had led peace consultations with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other officials in Florida on Nov. 30.
"Ukraine approaches all diplomatic efforts with utmost seriousness – we are committed to achieving a real peace and guaranteed security," Zelensky said on X.
"This is exactly the level of commitment that must be compelled from the Russian side, and this task can be accomplished only together with our partners."
The comments come as Witkoff travels to Moscow to discuss the latest peace proposal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently reiterated Russia's demand for Ukraine to withdraw from some of the territories it controls — a condition Kyiv rejects.
The U.S.-backed plan, whose 28 points initially imposed punishing conditions on Ukraine, including limits on its army and a ban on joining NATO, was revised during subsequent consultations with Ukrainian delegates in Geneva on Nov. 23 and in Florida.
Zelensky noted that during the latest talks, Andrii Hnatov, Ukraine's chief of the General Staff, briefed the U.S. side on the "real situation on the front."
While Russia has been making slow and costly but steady advances along the front line, Zelensky implied on Dec. 1 that Moscow is overstating its gains, and he drew attention to Russia's battlefield losses.
Putin claimed on Dec. 1 that Russian troops had captured the Ukrainian towns of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk — a claim not backed up by Ukrainian officials or battlefield monitoring groups.
According to Zelensky, Kyiv is also "actively working with all partners so that European countries and other members of the Coalition of the Willing are meaningfully involved in developing solutions."
Zelensky arrived in Ireland on Dec. 2 after visiting Paris the previous day, where he held talks on peace efforts with French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders.
