In early 2025, Trump launched an aggressive push to "end the war" in Ukraine. He tied resumed military aid and intelligence sharing to Kyiv's acceptance of a U.S.-drafted peace framework that includes territorial concessions to Russia and long-term limits on Ukraine's sovereignty.
The plan, revised through talks in Jeddah, Geneva, and Florida, would trade parts of the Donbas and other occupied areas for security guarantees and a reset in U.S.-Russia relations. Moscow welcomed it. Kyiv and Europe did not.
On December 8, 2025, Zelenskyy met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London. All four leaders publicly rejected any settlement built on Ukraine ceding territory, calling instead for a "just and lasting" peace with stronger security guarantees. Ukrainian public opinion still opposes concessions.
Russia’s full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022; by December 2025 the conflict has become Europe’s deadliest war since World War II.
≈20%
Ukrainian territory under Russian control
Russia occupies Crimea and substantial parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, amounting to roughly a fifth of Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory.
In a May–June 2025 KIIS poll, 52% of Ukrainians said they are firmly against giving up any territory to Russia to achieve peace, versus 38% willing to accept some losses.
3
Core European leaders coordinating in London
Starmer, Macron and Merz met Zelenskyy at 10 Downing Street on December 8, 2025 to agree a common line on the U.S. peace framework.
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15 events
Latest: December 8th, 2025 · 6 months ago
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December 2025
London meeting: Ukraine and key European leaders push back on Trump plan
LatestSummit
Zelenskyy meets Starmer, Macron and Merz at 10 Downing Street to coordinate a response to the U.S. peace proposal. The leaders emphasise a “just and lasting” peace, reject pressured territorial concessions, and discuss unified security guarantees. Zelenskyy later reiterates that Ukraine will not cede land to Russia.
Kremlin awaits outcome of Florida talks
Diplomatic Signal
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Moscow has not yet been informed of the detailed outcome of the Florida U.S.–Ukraine talks and will decide its response once it sees the revised proposals.
Florida talks: Zelenskyy calls U.S. meetings ‘constructive but not easy’
Negotiation
After meetings in Florida with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Zelenskyy says talks were constructive but difficult, with no agreement yet on eastern Ukraine’s status; he announces plans to consult European leaders.
Ukraine’s top general calls concessions ‘unacceptable’
Interview
Armed forces chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi tells Sky News that giving up territory in any U.S.-brokered deal would be an “unjust peace” and accuses Russia of using talks as cover to seize more land.
November 2025
Yermak and Putin stake out incompatible red lines
Public Statements
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak says Ukraine will not give up land for peace, while Putin says Russia will fight on unless Kyiv withdraws from territory Moscow claims—both referencing the U.S. draft as a possible negotiation basis.
Leaked 28‑point U.S. plan sparks backlash; promise of an update
Negotiation
A leaked 28‑point U.S. document reveals demands that Ukraine hand over territory, shrink its army and waive war‑crimes claims; after criticism, the U.S. and Ukraine pledge an “updated” framework that will fully uphold Ukrainian sovereignty.
August 2025
Zelenskyy rejects Trump’s territorial concession idea
Public Statement
After Trump signals he will discuss territorial swaps with Putin in Alaska, Zelenskyy publicly rejects any suggestion that Ukraine would give up land, calling such decisions unconstitutional and ineffective for peace.
May 2025
Merz lifts range limits on Western weapons to Ukraine
Military Decision
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announces that Germany, France, the UK and the U.S. are lifting range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine, allowing strikes on targets inside Russia.
March 2025
Debate over enforcing a Ukraine ceasefire
Analysis
Analysts warn that enforcing any ceasefire will be difficult given Russia’s record of violating the Minsk accords and the scale of the current front; proposals include demilitarised zones and neutral monitoring forces.
Jeddah talks and conditional 30‑day ceasefire
Negotiation
At U.S.–Ukraine talks in Jeddah, Ukraine expresses readiness to accept a 30‑day ceasefire and enter broader negotiations if Russia reciprocates; the U.S. agrees to lift its freeze on intelligence sharing and military aid.
2025 London Summit on Ukraine
Summit
Starmer hosts leaders from 16 states, the EU and NATO in London to draft a European peace and security framework for Ukraine to present to the United States.
February 2025
Explosive Trump–Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting
Diplomatic Meeting
A televised Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy turns confrontational; Washington subsequently pauses some military aid and intelligence sharing, increasing leverage over Kyiv.
Starmer warns of reinvasion risk without U.S. guarantees
Public Statement
Ahead of talks with Trump in Washington, UK PM Keir Starmer warns that Putin could reinvade Ukraine if the U.S. refuses to provide security guarantees, urging a U.S. backstop for a British‑French peacekeeping plan.
January 2025
Second inauguration of Donald Trump
Political Event
Trump is sworn in as the 47th U.S. president; aides and campaign statements emphasise his pledge to quickly end the war in Ukraine and rebalance alliances.
November 2024
Trump wins 2024 U.S. presidential election
Election
Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris and secures 312 electoral votes, setting the stage for a radically different U.S. approach to the Ukraine war in his second term.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1 of 3
February 2015 – 2022
Minsk II Agreement (2015)
In February 2015, Ukraine, Russia and separatist representatives, brokered by Germany and France, agreed the Minsk II package: a ceasefire, pullback of heavy weapons, and a special status for parts of Donetsk and Luhansk. The deal froze front lines but left key political questions unresolved, and was repeatedly violated until Russia’s full‑scale invasion in 2022 rendered it moot.
Then
Fighting in Donbas reduced but never fully stopped; both sides accused each other of violations, and OSCE monitoring could not prevent flare‑ups.
Now
Minsk II became a cautionary tale of an unstable compromise that Russia later discarded, contributing to Ukrainian scepticism of any new agreement that locks in territorial losses.
Why this matters now
Many Ukrainians and Europeans see Trump’s framework—especially if it trades land for paper guarantees—as risking a ‘Minsk III’: a ceasefire that cements Russian gains without resolving underlying disputes, inviting future aggression.
2 of 3
November–December 1995
Dayton Accords Ending the Bosnian War (1995)
The U.S.-brokered Dayton Accords ended the Bosnian War by creating a single Bosnian state divided into two highly autonomous entities with a complex constitutional structure, enforced by a large NATO peacekeeping force and extensive international oversight. The agreement formalised significant territorial changes and ethnic partitions to stop the fighting.
Then
Dayton stopped large‑scale violence and allowed refugees to begin returning under the protection of NATO troops.
Now
Peace has largely held, but Bosnia remains politically fragile and ethnically divided, with a constitutional system many see as freezing wartime realities.
Why this matters now
Dayton shows that externally imposed peace deals involving territorial and constitutional engineering can end wars but may entrench dysfunctional structures and grievances. It informs debates over whether a U.S.-driven Ukraine settlement could be stable or would simply freeze conflict lines.
3 of 3
July 1953 – present
Korean Armistice and the Frozen Korean War
The Korean War ended not with a peace treaty but with the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, establishing a demilitarised zone along the front and halting fighting without resolving the political conflict between North and South Korea. No final peace agreement has been reached decades later.
Then
Hostilities ceased and a heavily fortified DMZ was created, but tensions and periodic clashes persisted.
Now
The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war, with the armistice underpinning a long‑term frozen conflict and ongoing security crises.
Why this matters now
The Korean precedent highlights the possibility that a Ukraine deal might deliver a ceasefire and demarcation line without a true peace treaty, creating a long‑term frozen conflict in which front lines become de facto borders but the political war never fully ends.
