Zelensky calls for 'dignified peace', will see Trump. US president working on 'acceptable' plan

The Ukrainian leadership 'is no longer a political leadership' but 'a criminal group, an organised criminal community that has usurped power' and 'maintains this power for its own personal enrichment under the pretext of continuing the war with Russia'. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, quoted by the Interfax news agency, while visiting a command post of Moscow troops at the front. "This," Putin continued, "has become an established fact on the basis of the results of the anti-corruption investigation in Ukraine itself. I think it is clear to everyone that these people, sitting on golden toilets, hardly think about the fate of their country, the fate of Ukrainians, officers, let alone ordinary soldiers. They have more important things to do'.

US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said he was "very optimistic" after meeting in Kiev with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at the press briefing. "Secretary Driscoll met with President Zelensky today. We spoke with him. He is very optimistic after that meeting and so, again, we are having good talks with both sides to get to the end of this war," Leavitt said.

"Italy's support for Ukraine through bilateral cooperation and EU- and NATO-led multinational mechanisms". This was reiterated by the Chief of Defence Staff, Luciano Portolano, in his speech dedicated to support for Ukraine, at today's meeting in Brussels of the European Union Military Committee (EUMC), convened in the session for the heads of the Armed Forces of the member states. Furthermore, Portolano emphasised 'the role of EU naval operations in the Mediterranean, to which Italy contributes'.

"Peace is necessary and we appreciate the efforts of President Trump and his team to restore security in Europe. Ukraine defends human lives and independence thanks to the courage of our people, our unity within the state and the assistance of our partners." Writing this on X is Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, reporting on his meeting with the US Secretary of the Army. "During a meeting with US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, we discussed options for achieving real peace, the sequence of our work and dialogue formats, as well as new impulses for diplomacy. Our teams - from Ukraine and the United States - will work on the provisions of the plan to end the war. We are ready for constructive, honest and quick work." "I also informed him about the terrible Russian attack on Ternopil. The Kh-101 missile that the Russian army used yesterday to hit an ordinary residential building was manufactured in 2025. It contains 175 foreign components that continue to reach Russia circumventing sanctions. We are counting on US support to curtail all such schemes. I have provided Secretary Driscoll with specific data on the companies producing these critical components, their countries of origin, and the components themselves'.

Russian armed forces have taken control of the city of Kupyansk in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov announced today during a report to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Units of the Western forces group (Zapad) have liberated the city of Kupyansk," Gerasimov said, quoted by Russian news agencies.

"Yes we have accepted it in this sense". This is how Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin responds to those who ask him if the US peace plan for Ukraine is a possibility for the end of the conflict. "It seems to me it is, hoping that paths of dialogue will really open up that will allow an end to this tragedy". To those who ask him if it is not a surrender, he replies: 'Now they will discuss, and there we will see to find a compromise', 'the path of negotiation is all uphill, but they will discuss' and 'Europe,' he remarks, 'should participate and make its voice heard and not remain excluded'.

'It is extremely dangerous'. So said League leader and deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini when asked if he favoured the use of Russian frozen assets for Ukraine. Salvini said this when arriving at an election event in San Marco in Lamis (Foggia). And he explained: 'We expose ourselves to a thousand problems at a time when we read about peace plans, American proposals, expropriations, I do not think it is the case to talk about them'.

Read also: Ukraine, the League unmasks: clarity or no new arms to Kiev

An oil tanker sailing in the Baltic Sea has broken down, possibly due to poor maintenance. The ship's tanks are damaged, perhaps due to bad weather, perhaps due to crew error, or perhaps due to a specific self-sabotage order. The oil spills into the sea; the stain contaminates the waters and spreads to the shores of coastal states, but for this ecological disaster no country can make any claims for compensation, because the ship is travelling under a false flag, with no real ownership and no insurance cover.

The tanker is part of the Russian ghost fleet. This is, according to the foreign ministries of Poland and Estonia, the latest crisis scenario on which the intelligence agencies of the countries bordering the Baltic are working, after the sabotage of the North Stream gas pipeline, the cutting and damaging of submarine cables that began in 2023, and the flights of unidentified drones that have paralysed numerous airports in the area for days since early September.

"President Trump has been clear from day one that he wants an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine and is frustrated with both sides for their refusal to commit to a peace deal." This was said by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, according to reports from the BBC. The official then confirmed rumours of a plan the US administration was working on to end the war in Ukraine. "Nevertheless," Leavitt added, "the president and his team never give up and the US is working on a detailed plan acceptable to both sides to stop the killing and create a lasting peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has agreed to work on a peace plan drafted by the US and Russia and plans to discuss the proposals contained in the document with Donald Trump in the coming days. Ukraine has officially received a draft plan from Washington that the US side believes could help revive diplomacy, Zelensky's office said in a statement issued after the president's meeting with top US military officials on a visit to Kiev. The president "outlined the fundamental principles that are dear to our people's hearts and, following today's meeting, the parties agreed to work on the provisions of the plan so as to end the war in a fair manner," the statement read. Zelensky plans to discuss with Trump "existing diplomatic opportunities and key issues necessary to achieve peace," according to the statement.

The US administration's latest attempt to revive negotiations includes a 28-point plan that builds on the Gaza ceasefire in an attempt to end Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth year. The plan outlines demands for concessions from the Kremlin that Kiev has repeatedly called unacceptable and that have so far thwarted all attempts to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire. Trump supports the plan, according to a senior US official.

Kiev has received the US plan on peace in Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to discuss it with US President Donald Trump in the coming days. "The US and Ukraine will work jointly and constructively," on the peace plan, says the Ukrainian presidency.

"I saw the ministers very calm, we have already seen this scenario and the truth is that peace plans cannot work without Europe and Ukraine. We have a two-point plan: weaken Russia and support Ukraine. And hitting Moscow's shadow fleet has a major impact on Russia's revenues'. This was said by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas at the end of the foreign affairs council regarding the US peace plan.

More than 400,000 people were left without electricity in Ukraine after the latest large-scale Russian attack on the western regions of the country. The Guardian writes this, citing energy officials who told Reuters that the raids have led to a decrease in electricity production at Ukraine's nuclear power plants. Ukraine generates more than half of its electricity from three nuclear power plants, but damage to power lines and transformers has forced the plants to reduce their output, a representative of the national nuclear power company Energoatom told the British news agency.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and the generals in the US delegation. Rbc Ukraina writes this. At the centre of the meeting would be the US plan for peace in Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader will now have a meeting with his people, including Rustem Umerov, secretary of the Council for Security and National Defence.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that Ukraine will receive long-range missile systems, although he declined to provide details on their quantity and delivery dates. This was reported by the Turkish Anadolu news agency. "For several months we have been working intensively with the Ukrainian government on the implementation of projects for long-range systems, as we technically call them. The Ukrainian army will be equipped with such systems," Merz said at a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Berlin.

Asked about Germany's previous reluctance to supply Ukraine with Taurus long-range cruise missiles, Merz declined to provide details, calling the approach a tactic to increase pressure on Russia. "We agreed not to discuss details any more publicly," the chancellor said, "because we believe that a certain ambiguity is necessary, especially for the Russian side, regarding the extent of our military support in this area. I can only say that we are doing everything possible to equip the Ukrainian army with weapon systems with the appropriate range. And this will continue in the coming weeks and months, if necessary, until such weapon systems are produced in Ukraine itself."

A fire broke out last night at an 'enterprise' in the Russian city of Ryazan after a Ukrainian drone attack, according to the governor, Pavel Malkov, quoted by the Tass news agency. According to the opposition Telegram channel Astra, the fire broke out at a refinery, which has already been attacked several times since the beginning of the year... "A fire broke out on the territory of an enterprise due to falling debris" from downed drones, Malkov said, adding that no deaths or injuries were reported. The Astra channel, designated as a 'foreign agent' by Russian authorities, posts a video of the fire, taken by a local resident, claiming that the affected facility is the local refinery. According to Astra, the refinery, owned by the Pjsc Rosneft company, is one of the largest in Russia and produces, among other things, petrol and diesel for cars and aircraft fuel.

After months of stalemate, negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine are regaining momentum with an American proposal of which there are many rumours and not a text, and which has already provoked protests from the European side, as Ukraine, as well as the EU and the main chancelleries, have not been involved in the debate over the new initiative. Europe and Ukraine want a 'just and lasting' peace, but not 'any form of capitulation', French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said before the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, followed by colleagues from most member states. Hungary is keeping to the point, rowing against the tide: "If the European leadership were normal it should have immediately stopped funding Ukraine and demanded an audit, we need to know how European taxpayers' money is being spent in Ukraine," said Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, hammering on the sensitive issue of the corruption scandal that is roiling the Ukrainian leadership.

Yesterday the news of the new US plan was accompanied by rumours of a certain optimism on the part of the US administration that an agreement could be reached very soon, perhaps even this week. Moscow is keeping a low profile, the Kremlin said today that there are contacts with the United States, but not ongoing negotiations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet today in Kiev with US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, who arrived in the Ukrainian capital along with Chief of Staff General Randy George and the commander of the US Army in Europe, General Christopher Donahue, as rumours emerge about the peace plan for Ukraine drawn up by the US. Zelensky's aide, Dmytro Lytvyn, told reporters after a meeting between the Ukrainian president and Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, broke down in Turkey yesterday. Washington and Kiev have not commented publicly on the proposals contained in the plan. The Kremlin said it had nothing to say on the matter.

Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Steve Witkoff, appears to have indirectly confirmed contacts with Russia on a secret peace plan with a post on X then immediately deleted. This is reported by American media, including The Daily Beast.

Witkoff commented on the Axios news about the new 28-point peace plan by writing on social X: 'It must have come from K', then deleting the message. Journalists believe that 'K' is Kirill Dmitriev, special representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Further reading

US, White House envoy for Ukraine Kellogg plans to leave the Trump administration in January

19 November 2025

"Since the large-scale invasion, European countries and Europe have supported Ukraine with EUR 187 billion. In the same period, we imported oil and gas from Russia to the tune of EUR 201 billion, and if you add the other imports, the total is EUR 311 billion, which means we end up with a negative support for Ukraine of EUR 124 billion. This is nothing but a disgrace'. This was stated by Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard upon her arrival at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. 'The truth,' she stressed, 'is that support for Ukraine is not substantial enough, while support for Russia is too substantial. "Now everyone is talking about peace talks, but," he warned, "there will be no reasonable peace talks if we do not increase support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia. A very good start would be to use the frozen assets for the benefit of Ukraine'.

"Repatriation operations were started today. 1.000 bodies, which the Russian side declared to belong to Ukrainian servicemen, were returned to Ukraine'. This was stated on social media by the Kiev POW Coordination Headquarters.

Hundreds of Ukrainian minors are being lured on Telegram with 'easy and well-paid' job offers to carry out sabotage against their own country. The BBC reports this, citing the Ukrainian Security Service (Sbu), which claims that over the past two years more than 800 citizens - including 240 minors, some as young as 11 - have been recruited by alleged Russian intermediaries for arson attacks, IED manufacturing, or surveillance activities. The authorities speak of a strategy aimed at the most vulnerable, attracted by money and often unaware of the criminal and personal consequences of their actions. The British broadcaster recounts the case of Vlad, now 18 years old, which sums up a growing phenomenon. Last July, he travelled more than 800 kilometres to Rivne in north-western Ukraine to retrieve a bomb and a telephone intended to blow up a local military commission van. Lured by the promise of almost two thousand euros, the young man had already carried out other assignments - from attempting to recover a grenade to setting a vehicle on fire - paid for in cryptocurrency by a contact known as 'Roman'. However, the Sbu intercepted the operation and arrested Vlad, who is now awaiting trial on terrorism charges. Investigations have uncovered an opaque ecosystem of Telegram channels, TikTok and even video game platforms, where lists of fees for targets circulated - from $1,500 for a post office to $3,000 for a bank - and 'job' ads also posted in groups for refugees or dedicated to beauty advice. While Moscow rejects the accusations, dozens of suspected saboteurs have died handling explosives; in some cases, according to the Sbu, the devices were intentionally detonated by their own recruiters.

"Every moment is the best for a peaceful resolution, for a resolution by peaceful politico-diplomatic means" of the conflict in Ukraine, and "Russia continues to remain open to this solution." This was said by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The spokesman, quoted by Interfax news agency, did not comment, as he did yesterday, on the alleged 28-point US plan for peace. "We have no news, I have nothing to add to what has already been said," he said.

The Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, adopted a resolution proposing retaliatory measures should the EU decide to use frozen Russian assets. "Any violation of Russian assets must trigger an appropriate legal response, starting with the filing of legal actions to obtain compensation for damages," the text reads.

Russian troops have captured another village in the Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia, that of Veseloe. This was stated by the Moscow Defence Ministry.

Sky news reports an interesting detail from yesterday when Axios first broke the news that the US is drawing up a 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine by secretly talking to the Russians. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff wrote and immediately deleted a post on X, which was probably meant to be a private message. "Must have received it from K...," Witkoff wrote, on X. According to Sky News, the US envoy was talking about Axios' Barak Ravid article on the plan, making assumptions about the journalist's source. Who is the 'K' in Witkoff's message? Probably, Sky News writes, it is Kirill Dmitriev, who has become Putin's envoy in Washington, in essence, Witkoff's Russian counterpart.

L'inviato speciale degli Stati Uniti in Medio Oriente Steve Witkoff parla ai media a Kiryat Gat, Israele, 21 ottobre 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/Foto d'archivio

"The important thing now is to find a solution on the use of frozen Russian assets. We are in favour of using these assets to support Ukraine, but we need to find the legal basis to make this choice. So there is only a legal question, it is not a political question. We have to see how it can be done and how we can also guarantee the stability of the eurozone'. This was said by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani arriving at the foreign affairs council. "The jurists now have to make an in-depth analysis together with the European Central Bank."

Further reading

Enlargement report: EU supports Ukraine

05 November 2025

The Telegraph, citing anonymous officials, wrote that the 28-point 'peace plan' between Russia and Ukraine stipulates that Russia will pay rent for control of the eastern Donbass. Officials familiar with the deal told the publication that 'under the Trump administration's agreement, Kiev would cede control of eastern Donbass, but retain legal ownership. Russia would pay an undisclosed rent for de facto control of the region'. The Telegraph notes that Trump's 'land lease' plan fits the pattern of trade deals used to support peace agreements. "The Donbass is rich in minerals. In return for this territory, Moscow can pay a land tax to compensate for Ukraine's financial losses due to the loss of access to its land," the publication reads.

Milan, 20 Nov (LaPresse) - "135 billion euros. That is the sum that the head of the Brussels bureaucracy, President von der Leyen wants to scrape together for Ukraine. This is the price to be paid for prolonging the war'. So writes Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a post on social X. "The president has a problem: she does not have this amount. What she does have are three proposals on the table," he adds, "1. That the member states contribute. Willingly and enthusiastically, from their own budgets. As if they had nothing better to do. 2. A well-known Brussels 'magic trick': the joint loan. Today there is no money for war, so our grandchildren will foot the bill. Absurd. 3. A proposal to seize frozen Russian assets. A convenient solution, but one whose consequences are impossible to predict. Long legal disputes, a wave of court cases and the collapse of the euro. This is what awaits us if we choose this path'. "So let us choose common sense. Let's stop funding a war that cannot be won, together with the corrupt Ukrainian war mafia, and focus our forces on building peace," Orban concludes, "it's time to turn back from this Brussels dead end."

The UK has not been informed of new US proposals for a peace deal in Ukraine, Politico reported, citing a British diplomatic source. Despite the close relationship between British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, London has not been briefed on the proposals, Politico said. On Wednesday, Politico reported that a framework agreement on Ukraine could be reached by the end of November, or even this week.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on X about the Ukraine peace plan, saying that it is necessary for "both sides to accept difficult but necessary concessions". "Ending a complex and deadly war like the one in Ukraine requires," Rubio says, "a broad exchange of serious and realistic ideas. And achieving lasting peace will require both sides to accept difficult but necessary concessions. That is why we are developing and will continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war, based on input from both sides in the conflict'.

An oil refinery was hit by a Ukrainian drone in Russia's Ryazan region. This was reported by the Kyev Independent, citing local residents. However, regional governor Pavel Malkov played down the attack: 'Last night,' he said, 'the air defence destroyed drones on the territory of the Ryazan region. Due to falling debris, a fire broke out in a company'. Ryazan, the regional capital, is located 180 kilometres south-east of Moscow and about 450 kilometres from Ukraine's north-eastern border with Russia, along the Sumy oblast. Russia's oil and gas production continues to be under attack as Kiev attempts to cripple Moscow's main source of funding for its war in Ukraine. On 16 November, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that Kiev forces had hit the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in Russia's Samara oblast and a drone storage site belonging to Russia's elite Rubikon unit.

"The issue of ceding territories should not be negotiated without the Ukrainians. We have made that crystal clear. We continue to reiterate Trump's original position in this, which is an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Zelensky has supported this for a long time, as has the European Union,' 'so the only problem remains Putin. We should therefore avoid any situation where we actually start to give in to his demand." So says Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen of the rotating EU Presidency on his arrival at the Foreign Affairs Council.

Further reading

The Trump peace plan: Crimea and Donbass to Russia against security guarantees. Moscow: no proposal from US

19 November 2025

"Our rescuers worked through the night in Ternopil, and the search and rescue operations are still continuing. The whereabouts of 22 people are unknown, their search continues. More than 230 rescuers from nine regions of Ukraine are involved in the work. In some areas, work can only be done manually due to the severe damage and fragmentation of structures. This complicates the search. At the moment 26 people are known dead, including three children'. Thus Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram.