Journalism of Courage
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the war in Ukraine was a “mess” and not an easy situation to resolve, remarks he delivered at the start of his final cabinet meeting of 2025.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia is prepared for war if Europe initiates a conflict, stating, “We’re not going to have a war with Europe, I’ve already said. But if Europe suddenly wants to wage a war with us and starts it, we are ready right away.
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.
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.
