Zelensky says Ukraine territory ‘most difficult’ issue, as US envoy prepares to meet Putin

President Zelensky has said that Kyiv’s priorities in peace talks to end the war with Russia are to maintain Ukraine’s sovereignty and achieve stronger security guarantees.

Zelensky said “the territorial issue is the most difficult”, as Russia has consistently demanded that Ukraine give up the areas of the eastern Donbass region it still holds – to which Kiev says it will never do.

Zelensky was speaking after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, where he joined talks with European leaders including the UK, Germany, Poland and Italy.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian and US negotiators completed two days of meetings in Florida as they worked on revising a peace plan seen as favoring Russia.

The White House took a positive stance on the talks on Monday, with press secretary Carolyn Leavitt saying the administration felt “very optimistic” about an agreement to end the war.

Zelensky was more cautious, posting on Twitter that the talks were “very constructive” but that “there are some difficult issues that still need to be worked out”.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who attended talks with the Ukrainian delegation, is now bound for Russia where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. He will also be joined by President Trump’s son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner.

Witkoff has spoken to Zelensky, Macron, Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustam Umerov and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and is expected to report the results of the discussions to Putin.

Last week Putin said a draft of the peace plan had been shown to Russia by the Americans and that it could form the “basis” of a future agreement to end the war.

The initial US-Russia draft peace plan circulated in November caused consternation in Kiev and across Europe.

As well as leaning heavily toward Moscow’s demands, it also decided how the many billions worth of frozen Russian assets currently held in European financial institutions should be invested and set the terms of Kiev’s access to EU markets.

But Macron said there was “no final peace plan to talk about” at the moment. He also stressed that any such proposal can be worked out only after input from Ukraine and Europe.

European leaders have been fighting for a seat at the negotiating table since the peace plan was leaked and have urged the US to include them in the drafting of any future deal.

Macron said that the territorial question “can only be finalized by President Zelensky” and pointed out that there is a need to involve European countries in the issues of frozen Russian assets, security guarantees and EU accession.

But the French leader also praised efforts by Donald Trump’s administration to end the conflict, which began with Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and was followed by a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Now we are waiting for Russia’s answer: are they ready to stop fighting and make peace? I want to point out that the Russians have said no three, four times,” he said. “So they don’t seem to be in a hurry.”

Throughout the year Moscow appeared to join US efforts to end the war or discuss a ceasefire, but many of its demands directly contradict Ukraine’s sovereignty and are considered unacceptable by Kiev.

While the question of territory is the major issue, the issue of security guarantees for Kyiv has also proven controversial.

Kiev and its European partners want Ukraine to be given security guarantees – such as NATO membership – that would protect it from repeat attack.

But Russia strongly opposes it and Donald Trump has also refused to allow Ukraine to join the military alliance.

Far from the negotiating table, the war continues.

A Russian missile attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Monday morning killed four people and injured 40, officials said.

Unconfirmed reports said that a ballistic missile was used in the attack.

Videos shared online showed a large explosion along the motorway, and local media said an office block, cars and shops were affected or badly damaged.

“We are trying with all our might to end this war and end it in an honorable way,” Zelensky said in Paris.

“Russia has to end this war that it started, it’s its war and it’s up to it to end it.”

The latest diplomatic push comes as Zelensky is embroiled in a serious corruption scandal. His chief of staff Andriy Yermak, who also led the Ukrainian delegation to peace talks, resigned on Friday after anti-corruption investigators raided his home – although he has not been accused of wrongdoing. Two cabinet ministers have also been dismissed.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Ukraine had “some tough little problems,” referring to the scandal, and reiterated his view that both Russia and Ukraine wanted to end the war.