Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that the revised U.S. proposal for ending the war with Russia “looks better,” though negotiations are still underway. He made the remarks in Paris after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to shape the terms of a possible ceasefire in Europe’s largest conflict since World War II.
At the same time, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Tuesday with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff recently drew scrutiny following reports that he had coached one of Putin’s advisers on how to present Moscow’s position to Donald Trump regarding the peace plan.
Zelenskyy’s trip to Paris followed talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials on Sunday, which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as constructive. Both sides are working to revise the original American-drafted proposal, which emerged from Washington-Moscow discussions but was criticized for favoring Russian demands.
Late Monday, Russia claimed fresh battlefield victories as negotiations approached, saying its forces had seized the strategic city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Peskov said Putin was briefed on the capture Sunday. Zelenskyy, however, insisted fighting in the area was still ongoing.
A complex stage of negotiations
Zelenskyy called discussions over Ukrainian territorial control “the most complicated” aspect of the peace plan. Macron said talks remain in an “early phase” but suggested the current diplomatic momentum could mark a turning point for Ukraine’s future and Europe’s security.
Following criticism from Kyiv and European capitals, Trump has distanced himself from his administration’s earlier 28-point peace plan—which would have limited Ukraine’s military, barred its NATO membership, and required territorial concessions—calling it merely a “concept” that still needs refinement.
Macron praised U.S. engagement but said any final agreement must include Europe. He again urged Western allies last week to provide Ukraine with strong security guarantees should a ceasefire or peace deal be reached, including a possible “reassurance force” across land, sea, and air.
Macron said key discussions among the U.S. and Western partners will take place in the coming days to clarify America’s role in such guarantees. His office said he and Zelenskyy also conferred with leaders from numerous European nations, EU officials, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Both leaders spoke by phone with Witkoff, and Zelenskyy later traveled to Ireland.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that U.S.-Russia talks risk pressuring Ukraine into making excessive concessions, including on territory. “I’m afraid all the pressure will be put on the victim,” she said.
Russia touts more gains
Russian state media released footage of Putin in military gear meeting top commanders Sunday. General Valery Gerasimov reported that Russian troops had fully taken Pokrovsk—referred to by Russia by its Soviet-era name, Krasnoarmeysk—as well as Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region. Another commander said fighting continued against “small remaining enemy groups” in Pokrovsk. Ukraine did not immediately comment, and the claims could not be independently confirmed.
Pokrovsk sits along a key fortified defensive line in Donetsk, crucial for protecting cities like Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, and Druzhkivka. Zelenskyy also dismissed Russia’s claim that Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region had been captured, saying Ukrainian forces had cleared out almost all Russian troops there.
Putin, in the released footage, asserted that Russian troops hold the initiative along the entire front. Meanwhile, Moscow condemned Ukrainian attacks over the weekend on Russian energy infrastructure, including a strike on a Caspian Pipeline Consortium oil terminal near Novorossiysk and attacks on two tankers in the Black Sea. Ukraine confirmed the operations.
Russian officials called the attacks “outrageous,” noting the CPC terminal is an international facility. Russia’s Defense Ministry said 32 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across 11 regions and over the Sea of Azov. In Dagestan, an apartment building was damaged in a Ukrainian strike on Kaspiysk, more than 1,000 kilometers from the front.
Deadly strike on Dnipro
Around midday Monday, a Russian missile hit central Dnipro, killing four people and injuring 40 more, including 11 critically, according to regional officials. The blast damaged residential buildings, an educational institution, and a humanitarian warehouse, and rescue efforts continued through the day.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported Russia had launched 89 attack and decoy drones overnight before the strike; 63 were intercepted or jammed. In total during November, Russia fired 100 missiles and nearly 9,600 drones of various types at Ukraine, the Air Force said.