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Despite Zelensky’s statement, experts say practical challenges make wartime elections difficult. Soldiers on the front line may be unable to vote, millions of Ukrainians are displaced abroad, and extensive security measures would be required to ensure a fair process.
Zelensky, who later traveled to Brussels to meet Nato officials, said Ukraine would submit its updated plan to the US on Tuesday. He told reporters that the “most certainly anti-Ukrainian points have been removed” from the previous draft, but admitted that concerns over giving up territory persist and a compromise “has not yet been found there.”
In a statement on Friday, December 5, 2025, Zelensky said Ukrainian emergency services are responding almost every day and every night to the aftermath of Russian strikes targeting civilian areas and critical infrastructure.
While the White House expressed optimism on Monday, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the administration “feels very optimistic” about a potential agreement, Zelensky offered a more cautious assessment on X, noting the talks were “very constructive” but that “some tough issues still have to be worked through.”
Yermak’s exit could weaken Ukraine’s position in upcoming talks, with US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll expected in Kyiv this week under the Trump peace initiative. In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin has endorsed a Hungarian offer to host a possible Trump-Putin summit, maintaining pressure on Kyiv.
The statement was endorsed by leaders from Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Germany, Norway and two senior EU officials. It welcomed some elements of the draft, describing them as helpful for achieving a durable peace, but noted the need for further discussion on the future of Ukraine’s borders and the strength of its armed forces.
Tusk stressed that the aim of the sabotage was to trigger a serious rail accident. He withheld the suspects’ identities to protect the ongoing investigation but noted that one lives in eastern Ukraine while the other resides in Belarus. Both had entered Poland from Belarus during the autumn and have since returned through the Terespol crossing, near the Ukrainian border.
The Ukrainian leader called on the United States, Europe, and the G7 to strengthen sanctions and tariffs on Russia’s energy sector and financial activities.
The hand-over coincided with the launch of a major new facility at the Gaddafi Military Barracks, Magamaga and the beginning of construction of a related workshop in Entebbe.
The announcement came after a high-level summit in London hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who declared, “We’re choking off funding for Russia’s war machine.”
The summit in Brussels came just before a London meeting where Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to urge European leaders to provide Ukraine with long-range missile systems.
Since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale assault on Ukraine, the UK has frozen more than £25 billion of Russian assets. Previously, only profits and interest earned from these holdings had been directed to support Ukraine’s resistance.