❓WHAT HAPPENED: Ukraine announced a “common understanding” on the “core terms” of a U.S.-brokered peace deal with Russia.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ukraine’s national security adviser Rustem Umerov, the United States, and Russia.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Reported on Tuesday, November 25, 2025.
🎯IMPACT: Ukrainian acceptance of the peace plan’s core proposals could be a significant step towards ending the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Ukraine’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, said on Tuesday that Kiev and Washington have reached a “common understanding on the core terms” of a U.S.-brokered peace framework with Russia, calling the talks “productive and constructive.” The announcement signals what could be the most significant movement in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, and President Volodymyr Zelensky may travel to the United States to meet President Donald J. Trump and work toward finalizing an agreement soon.
The progress comes as Washington continues to press Kiev to accept a U.S. peace proposal before Thanksgiving. American officials have warned that if Ukraine does not move toward signing the plan, it could lose access to vital military assistance, including weapons and intelligence support. The reported proposal contains multiple concessions to Russia, including Ukrainian territorial compromises in the eastern Donbas region and restrictions on joining NATO. In exchange, Ukraine would receive security guarantees and access to reconstruction funds derived from frozen Russian assets, with Russia leaving certain footholds in Ukraine’s Kharkov and Sumy oblasts (regions) and giving up its attempts to forcibly annex the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in their entirety.
President Zelensky has publicly acknowledged that the country faces what he described as a painful strategic dilemma: accept a deal he says risks compromising Ukraine’s “dignity,” or risk losing support from its most important military backer. Kiev is attempting to prepare counterproposals with input from European partners, some of whom have expressed concern that the U.S. plan heavily favors Moscow. Notably, however, Ukraine’s European supporters seem unwilling or unable to dramatically increase their own assistance to Kiev, still less send troops to fight alongside the Ukrainian military. In fact, analysts say European military assistance dropped sharply over the summer, with aid commitments falling by more than half compared to earlier in the year.
Meanwhile, conditions inside Ukraine remain difficult, with Russia appearing set to capture the strategic city of Pokrovsk and its surroundings fully. At the same time, Ukraine’s government is facing internal turbulence following a major corruption probe involving Energoatom, the state nuclear energy operator. Investigators allege that a network of suppliers paid multimillion-dollar kickbacks to secure government contracts. Businessman and Zelensky ally Timur Mindich reportedly fled the country to Israel before police raids began, prompting public criticism and raising new questions about corruption within state institutions. The investigation has already led to the suspension of Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and dozens of searches across the country.
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