Donald Trump calls Ukraine war a ‘mess,’ says conflict not easy to resolve

There can be no doubt about that.” Putin accused European powers of hindering US-led peace talks on Ukraine, claiming they are “on the side of war” and have locked themselves out of negotiations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated that Ukraine’s top priorities in the ongoing peace talks with Russia are maintaining sovereignty and securing robust security guarantees. However, he acknowledged that the territorial issue remains a major hurdle, particularly with Russia claiming control over the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk and demanding Ukraine cede areas of the Donbas region – a demand Kyiv has firmly rejected.

I spoke with the President of Finland earlier today – @alexstubb and I continue our coordination. I briefed him on our delegation’s work yesterday in the United States – everything was very constructive. There are some tough issues that still have to be worked through. Our…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 1, 2025

Zelenskyy made these remarks after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, where he also conferred with other European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The discussions come as US and Ukrainian negotiators have revised a 28-point peace plan, initially viewed as favoring Russia’s interests, during a two-day meeting in Florida.

The revised plan’s details are still emerging, but Ukraine has emphasized that it won’t accept any deal requiring territorial concessions. European leaders, including Macron, have stressed that Ukraine must decide its own territorial boundaries and that any peace plan should involve European input.