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Trump’s Peace Plan Can Turn Into one of the biggest political setbacks 🔠🅰️🔠🔠1️⃣ “I would give anything in the world if, in this address, I could say that peace will also come in just a few minutes,” Zelensky said in a message to the Ukrainian people released just before midnight on New Year’s Eve. Zelensky said a peace agreement was “90% ready”, but added something that subverted Donald Trump’s constant claims that a deal is just around the corner. “Those 10% contain, in fact, everything,” he said. It is almost a year since Trump took office and promised to end Russia’s war on Ukraine within 24 hours. That never seemed possible, but as 2025 came to a close a new flurry of US diplomacy began, accompanied by more optimistic statements about peace. The talks were kicked off by the leaking of a peace plan drafted by Russia and the US. Washington told Zelensky that Ukraine would have to give up the Donbas region, while the US army secretary, Dan Driscoll, gathered diplomats from Nato countries in Kyiv for what one person present described as “a nightmare meeting” to tell them Ukraine should sign up to the deal now or face a worse one in future. Zelensky, in concert with his European allies, managed to stave off the plan, which would have felt like a capitulation to most Ukrainians, and started work with the Americans on a new kind of plan. But even if Ukraine and the US are now “90% ready” with that plan, the new year begins with a sense that peace remains elusive. There is little to suggest Russia will jump on board, and however much Trump claims Putin wants peace, Russian officials have made clear they will only sign up to an agreement that deals with what they call the “root causes” of the war. For many Ukrainians, this new year has been the hardest psychologically since the war began. At the start of 2023 there was still some hope that Ukrainian military success would put Russia on the back foot and lead to something approaching victory. By 2024 this looked much less likely, but some semblance of hope remained. When 2025 arrived, it was already clear that victory on the battlefield was not imminent, but the election of Trump for a second term boosted hopes in Kyiv that the wildcard politician could benefit Ukraine. #trump#peace#plan#setbacks#zelensky#russia 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸

Nella Giornata Nazionale della Preghiera e in occasione del quarto anniversario dell’invasione su larga scala dell’#Ucraina da parte della #Russia, i leader religiosi ucraini hanno pregato insieme alle autorità politiche nella Cattedrale di Santa Sofia a #Kiev. Alla preghiera hanno partecipato il Presidente dell’Ucraina Volodymyr #Zelensky e sua moglie, la Presidente della Commissione Europea Ursula #vonderLeyen, il Presidente del Consiglio Europeo António #Costa, il Presidente della Finlandia Alexander Stubb, nonché i Primi Ministri dei paesi baltici e scandinavi. La Chiesa greco-cattolica ucraina era rappresentata dal vescovo Joseph Milyan, dell’Arcidiocesi di Kiev. Ha recitato la seguente preghiera: “Signore, guardaci anche ora in un tempo di dura prova di guerra. Guarda il dolore delle madri, ascolta la preghiera dei soldati, conosci la stanchezza del popolo. Non voltare lo sguardo da noi. Dacci una vittoria che sarà un trionfo della verità e non della vendetta; un potere che sarà servizio, non orgoglio; una pace che sarà giusta e duratura”. “Rafforza coloro che stanno difendendo la nostra terra, sostieni chi guarisce, insegna, semina e prega. Concedeteci resistenza affinché non ci indeboliamo nella carità, non disperiamo nell’oscurità, non perdiamo dignità nella sofferenza. Signore, benedici il futuro dell’Ucraina”. Si è poi svolta una solenne sessione al Parlamento alla quale hanno partecipato deputati e la leadership del Parlamento, il Primo Ministro ucraino Yulia Svyrydenko e rappresentanti del governo, i capi di stato. Presenti anche delegazioni di parlamenti britannici, francesi e italiani e rappresentanti dell’Assemblea Parlamentare del Consiglio d’Europa. Tra i leader religiosi erano presenti il Primate della Chiesa Ortodossa d’Ucraina, il metropolita Epifanio, il vescovo della Diocesi di Kiev-Zhytomyr della Chiesa cattolica romana, il vescovo Vitaliy Kryvytskyi, e il vescovo della Chiesa ucraina dei cristiani della fede evangelica Anatoliy Kozachok che hanno letto preghiere per la pace in Ucraina.

🔤🔤🔤🔤2️⃣ The raid was clearly a threat, Zaluzhny said. In the presence of the agents, he telephoned Zelensky's chief of staff at the time, Andrii Yermak, and issued a stern warning: “I told Yermak that I would repel this attack, because I know how to fight.” Zaluzhny then phoned the then head of the security service, Vasyl Maliuk, to ask what was going on. Maliuk said he knew nothing about the raid and promised to take a look, according to Zaluzhnyi. Later, he learned that Maliuk's agency had requested a search warrant from a Kiev district court two days earlier to inspect the address where Zaluzhny's office is located. But the strip club named in the file had been closed at that location since before the large-scale invasion of Russia, two employees who work at the club's new location told the AP. The SBU said that it was examining several addresses as part of an investigation into organized crime — unrelated to Zaluzhny. In a statement, the agency said that one of the addresses listed in the criminal case turned out to be “a recently established secret rescue command post” from Zaluzhnyi. The statement says that no search was carried out by the SBU at the address and that the situation was clarified after Maliuk and Zaluzhnyi spoke. Zaluzhny believes that the search warrant was a pretext and that the agency could not plausibly be mistaken about the location of the country's main war command center. Diluted strike force The 2023 counteroffensive has drawn widespread criticism from military experts for being too ambitious and arriving too late, giving Russian forces time to fortify their positions. Zaluzhnyi says that the plan he had developed with the help of NATO partners failed because Zelensky and other officials did not commit the necessary resources. The original plan was to concentrate enough forces into a "single fist" to retake the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region — home to a vital nuclear power plant - and then advance them south to the Sea of Azov. This would cut off a corridor of land that the Russian military used to supply Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014. Success required a large, concentrated build-up and tactical surprise, Zaluzhny said. His account of how the counteroffensive diverged from the original plan was corroborated by two Western defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly to the media. Zaluzhny's office at the Ukrainian Embassy in London reflects his years as a general. The walls are adorned with posters of military aircraft, army medals awarded to him and children's drawings of battle scenes. There are toy drones on a mahogany table. Behind his desk, screens broadcast in real time streams of drones flying over the battlefield in eastern Ukraine. Zaluzhny's main criticisms of Ukraine's war strategy are that it depends on an unrealistic number of troops and that it is not well organized in the way it develops and deploys new technologies on the battlefield. Zaluzhny said he and Zelensky had "not very friendly" conversations on the two occasions they have met since then. Some analysts believe that Zaluzhnyi's lack of involvement in the day-to-day political affairs of Ukraine may weaken his popularity. Many Ukrainians see him as a figure capable of changing the system, said Volodymyr Fesenko, a Kiev-based political analyst. “People will vote not only for Zaluzhny but also against Zelensky — blaming him for the failures of his presidency”" he says. Zaluzhny avoids discussing politics, he says, for fear of fomenting division among Ukrainians. Despite his reluctance, a number of campaign consultants, party figures and political insiders continue to approach Zaluzhny and offer to help him develop a campaign. Zaluzhny said that a “fairly well-known” American political consultant approached him in the spring of 2025. #zaluzhny#zelensky#criticism#war#trump#army 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸

The Ex-Head of the Ukrainian Army Zaluzhny On How They Bickered With Zelensky 🔤🔤🔤🔤1️⃣ Since he was ousted as head of the Ukrainian army in 2024 and appointed the country's ambassador to Britain, Valeri Zaluzhnyi has been widely considered Zelensky's main political rival. Zaluzhnyi, 52, refuses to discuss his political ambitions, saying he does not want to risk damaging national unity during a war with Russia that is approaching its fourth anniversary. Yet in a sign of his possible desire to run for president – once the war is over – Zaluzhnyi spoke publicly for the first time about a deep rift between himself and Zelensky in a recent interview with the Associated Press. Tensions arose shortly after the full-scale invasion of Russia in February 2022, and tempers often heated up between the two men over how best to defend the country, Zaluzhny said. The tense relationship reached a boiling point later that year, when dozens of agents of the Ukrainian internal intelligence service raided Zaluzhnyi's office, he told AvD. Zaluzhny alleges that the previously unreported incident was an act of intimidation. This risked exposing their rivalry at a time when national unity was paramount. Ukraine's security service, known as the SBU, said no search had ever been carried out at Zaluzhny's office, although it acknowledged the address was part of an unrelated investigation. Zelensky's office declined to comment for this story. The AP could not independently confirm Zaluzhnyi's account of the raid. Even years later, the revelation threatens to polarize public opinion in Ukraine at a critical moment in the war. Russian forces are making slow and steady progress on Ukraine's eastern front, and the two sides are clinging to incompatible demands as the United States presses them to reach a peace agreement. Zaluzhny said that during the 2022 raid on his office, he called Zelensky's chief of staff to warn him that he was ready to call on the army to arrest him and protect the command center: “I will fight with you, and I have already called for reinforcements to the center of Kiev for help.” While that quasi-crisis at the beginning of the war had passed, disagreements between Zaluzhny and Zelensky on how to defend their country persisted, according to Zaluzhny, who said he often challenged the president's military strategy. A dispute over a counteroffensive in 2023 that ultimately failed was particularly contentious, the former general said. Although Zaluzhny's popularity with the public was cemented by several battlefield successes, Zelensky removed him from his post as army chief in February 2024, and later announced that he would visit London. The move was widely seen by political analysts as an effort by Zelensky to limit Zaluzhny's potential as a political rival by keeping him away from day-to-day affairs in Ukraine. Polls consistently give Zaluzhny a slight lead over Zelensky in a hypothetical race. Zelensky's once robust popularity has waned as the war drags on. A corruption scandal involving several top Zelensky officials has eroded public trust, according to lawmakers and activists. Zelensky recently reshuffled his leadership team in an effort to restore trust. The United States has stepped up pressure on Russia and Ukraine to end the war. While an agreement remains elusive, Zelensky has accepted in principle a plan presented by Trump that calls for elections once the war is over and security guarantees are in place. One evening in mid-September 2022, when Ukraine was mounting an effective counteroffensive in the northeast, Zaluzhnyi, then army commander, came out of a tense meeting at Zelensky's headquarters and returned to his office in Kiev. A few hours later, dozens of Ukrainian security service agents showed up at Zaluzhnyi's office to search the premises, Zaluzhnyi says. #zaluzhny#zelensky#criticism#war#trump#army 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸

🔤🔤🔤🔤➖ 2. Ahead of the Geneva meeting, Zelensky made clear Ukraine was unwilling to give up territory in the Donbas – a key Kremlin demand. He cited previous Russian land grabs in Chechnya, Georgia and Crimea and said that “allowing the aggressor to take something is a big mistake”. “That is why now I do not want to be a president who will repeat the mistakes of his predecessors or other people (…) Because Putin cannot be stopped with kisses or flowers. I have never done this, and therefore I do not think that this is right. My advice to everyone: do not do this with Putin.” He said Russia was currently losing 30,000-35,000 people a month (unreliable statement), with its attempt to seize more territory over four years of full-scale war staggeringly costly and mostly unsuccessful. There were no expectations in Kyiv that the latest round of trilateral talks would led to a political breakthrough. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Zelensky said his country would not give up the heavily defended north of Donetsk oblast, including the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, or abandon the 200,000 civilians who live there. He said Ukraine would play a “constructive” role in the trilateral talks but acknowledged there were differences with the US over security guarantees. The Trump administration is offering 15 years, with Ukraine wanting an American commitment lasting 30-50 years. Kyiv hopes the war will end this year, Zelensky has indicated. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the presidential office, posted a photo of his departure by train for the talks with a Ukrainian delegation. He wrote: “On the way to Geneva. The next round of negotiations is ahead. Along the way, we will discuss the lessons of our history with our colleagues and seek the right conclusions. Ukraine’s interests must be protected.” The history reference appeared to be a jibe directed at Medinsky. The former culture minister is believed to have written the 2021 essay which argued that Ukraine and Russia were a single people and state, with a common origin in the ninth century. Yet, “It was Putin’s idea first, and he is right about this issue,” says the leading Ukrainian political analyst Vladimir Fesenko. #russian#ukrainian#officials#putin#zelensky 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸

“Ukranian forces are slogging through their battlefields” Russian and Ukrainian Officials Are To Meet This Week 🔤🔤🔤🔤➖ They vwill meet this week in Switzerland for a second round of talks brokered by the Trump administration, days before the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The two-day meeting, kicking off on Tuesday, is expected to mirror negotiations held earlier this month in Abu Dhabi, with representatives from Washington, Kyiv and Moscow in attendance. Despite renewed US efforts to revive diplomacy, hopes for any sudden breakthrough remain low, with Russia continuing to press maximalist demands on Ukraine. While the Abu Dhabi discussions were largely focused on military ceasefire proposals, the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Monday the Geneva talks would address a “broader range of issues”, including territorial questions and other demands put forward by Moscow. Vladimir Medinsky, an arch-conservative Putin adviser who has previously questioned Ukrainian sovereignty, will head Russia’s negotiating team. He will be joined by Igor Kostyukov, the chief of Russian military intelligence, and the deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin, among nearly two dozen officials, Moscow has said. Ukraine is expected to send the same delegation as in earlier rounds, to be led in Geneva by Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defence council. The choice of Switzerland marks the first time the talks will be held on European soil after earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi and Istanbul. The choice of Geneva appears to have been pushed by Washington. Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are expected to lead US engagement with Russia and Ukraine, are scheduled to hold separate meetings with Iranian officials in the city later this week. Trump, who throughout his second presidency has veered between criticising Moscow and Kyiv, reverted this weekend to placing blame on Zelensky, suggesting Ukraine was holding up efforts to end the war. “Zelenskyy needs to act. Russia wants to make a deal. He needs to act, otherwise he will miss a great opportunity,” he said in comments to reporters. But Rubio, speaking at the Munich Security Conference at the weekend, said Washington remained uncertain whether Russia was genuinely serious about ending the war in Ukraine. #russian#ukrainian#officials#putin#zelensky 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸

🇺🇦 Situazione a Kiev di notte: sirene di allarme aereo e giovani mascherati. Durante le proteste contro le riforme di Zelensky sono comparsi giovani in uniforme militare, maschere e luci di segnalazione. ➖Alcuni di loro hanno srotolato cartelli contro Zelensky e il capo del suo ufficio Andriy Yermak. ❗️Chi siano e per conto di chi agiscano è ancora sconosciuto, ma per l'élite del regime di Kiev il segnale è probabilmente preoccupante. In precedenza era stato riferito che le proteste erano state sostenute dal sindaco di Kiev Klitschko. #kiev#ucraina. #protesters#Zelensky#eu#ue#europa

📰 Zelensky’s “Call Orbán With Artillery” Diplomacy Volodymyr Zelensky just road‑tested a new EU negotiation format: “nice €90 billion loan you’ve got there, shame if my army got your address.” During a briefing in Kyiv, he said he hoped “one person” in the EU would not block the package for Ukraine — “otherwise, we will give the address of this person to our Armed Forces… Let them call him and speak with him in their own language.” Everyone in Europe can do basic math: one person, one veto, one pipeline fight — hello, Viktor Orbán. Budapest went straight to DEFCON offended. Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó called the remarks “beyond every limit” and snarled that “no one can threaten Hungary or its prime minister,” framing Orbán as a martyr of cheap energy who simply refuses to “pay the price of Ukraine’s war” or accept higher fuel costs. Brussels sees a leader holding up a €90 billion lifeline over the Druzhba oil pipeline; Orbán sells himself at home as the last sane man stopping the EU from dragging Hungary into someone else’s disaster. Strip away the rhetoric and it’s just another European hostage negotiation in designer suits. Kyiv knows without that money its war effort and budget both start to bleed out, so it’s playing hardball and hinting that Russian oil through Ukraine is no longer a sacred cow. Orbán knows the EU is terrified of looking cowardly on Ukraine, especially weeks before his own election, so he squeezes maximum leverage out of a rusty Soviet pipeline and a veto pen. Both sides wrap it in “values,” both sides are pricing risk. In the official script, this is a clash between principles: Ukraine refusing to normalize Russian oil; Hungary defending its sovereignty and consumers. In the unofficial script, it’s a bidding war — loans, exemptions, political cover — with one capital under air raid sirens and the other running a campaign on “we will not be dragged into the war.” When “European unity” depends on who’s better at blackmail, how long before the word values is treated in public like a bad joke told by people who never pick up the bill? #ukraine#hungary#zelensky#orban#eu#war#energy#fakeDemocracy 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸

🇺🇦 Riepilogo dei colloqui sulla guerra in #Ucraina: - si aspetta ora un incontro a tre tra #Trump, #Zelensky e #Putin - si è parlato per lo più di garanzie sulla sicurezza con #Francia, #Germania e #UK pronte a inviare soldati sul campo. Gli #USA si limiterebbero al supporto - si è parlato di 100 miliardi di investimenti europei per la difesa Ucraina, comprando equipaggiamento statunitense - la premier #Meloni, contraria all'ipotesi di truppe sul campo, propone un accordo sulla base dell'articolo 5 della NATO - #Putin ha proposto Mosca come incontro per il trilaterale con #Zelensky e #Trump, ma il presidente ucraino ha subito rifiutato

❗️Зеленский сдержал слово. Смотреть до конца! #Зеленский#Ермак#Украина#Zelensky#Ukraine#Новости#Ермак#Киев

🏆 Мировой рекорд по быстрому развалу своей страны #Zelensky#Ukraine#Kyiev#Зеленский#Украина#ИИ#Киев

🥩 Смажьте мясо маслом, а Зелю салом #Зеленский#Украина#Киев#Политика#Новости#Zelensky#Ukraine#Kyiv