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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that he had “a very good conversation” with President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Christmas Day.
He said they discussed “certain substantive details of the ongoing work” on a potential peace deal with Russia, though he did not specify what issues they talked about.
“I thank them for the constructive approach, the intensive work, and the kind words and Christmas greetings to the Ukrainian people,” Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on X. “We are truly working 24/7 to bring closer the end of this brutal Russian war against Ukraine.”
CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment on the talks.
Zelenskyy said he was joined on the call by Ukraine’s national security adviser Rustem Umerov and other members of his diplomatic team. He said Umerov would be speaking with Witkoff and Kushner again later in the day.
He added, “I also asked the guys to pass along our Christmas greetings to Donald Trump and the entire Trump family. Thank you!”
U.S. envoys have been holding talks with the Russian side as well. Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, traveled to Miami for meetings last weekend.
Despite the talks, in the days leading up to the holiday, Russia kept up its missile and drone bombardment of Ukrainian cities, while a Russian general was killed in a car bomb explosion in Moscow.
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy said he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end the war, if Moscow also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces.
The proposal offered a potential compromise on control of the Donbas region, which has been a major sticking point in peace negotiations. Moscow has captured most, but not all, of the Donbas and has insisted that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory— an ultimatum that Ukraine has rejected.
Zelenskyy said the U.S. has proposed making it a “free economic zone,” but it was unclear what that idea would mean for governance or development of the region.
A similar arrangement could be possible for the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control, Zelenskyy said. He said any peace plan would need to be put to a referendum.
