'Tremendous Progress' in Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal, 'Delicate' Details Remain, White House Says

Ukraine asks for Zelensky-Trump meeting as White House says further peace talks needed.
Published: 11/25/2025, 12:16:54 PM EST

The White House on Tuesday touted new progress in the U.S.-brokered peace proposal between Ukraine and Russia.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there has been a turning point in talks while acknowledging more work needs to be done to iron out some details.

"Over the past week, the United States has made tremendous progress towards a peace deal by bringing both Ukraine and Russia to the table," Leavitt wrote on X. "There are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States."

The White House did not disclose those specific details.

The statement follows talks in Geneva over the weekend in which Ukraine and Russia agreed to refine the U.S.-backed proposal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio led those talks after Kyiv and its European allies expressed concern that the proposal was a Kremlin wish list and pushed for changes.

The original, 28-point peace plan required concessions from both sides.

Among the concessions is the requirement of Ukraine to cap the size of its armed forces to 600,000. Ukraine would also have to give up territory including Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk, to Russia. The plan also bars Ukraine from joining the NATO alliance, although it doesn't prohibit Ukraine from joining the European Union.

The proposal states that Russia cannot invade neighboring countries and NATO will not expand any further. Russia must also give up "other agreed upon territories they control outside of the five regions" and is expected to commit to a non-aggression policy against Europe and Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said after the talks in Geneva that he believes "diplomacy has been activated."

The negotiations are part of an intense new push by President Donald Trump to end the yearslong conflict following Russia's invasion in February 2022.

Trump also touted the talks, saying on Monday that "big progress" is being made and "something good may be happening."

The president previously expressed hope that Ukraine would accept a final deal by Thanksgiving. Trump suggested the deadline was "appropriate" for Ukraine to sign off on the proposal or face losing U.S. support.

Zelenskyy hopes to visit Trump this month to "complete final steps and make a deal" with the president, according to Ukraine's national security secretary Rustem Umerov.

Meanwhile, Russian officials also gathered for talks.

United States Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi this week about the proposed plan for ending the war in Ukraine.

"The talks are going well and we remain optimistic. Secretary Driscoll is closely synchronized with the White House ... as these talks progress," according to U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Tolbert, a spokesperson for Driscoll.

Diplomatic talks on a peace deal have gained momentum amid ongoing attacks. Russia launched a new barrage of drones and missiles at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Tuesday, killing six people and wounding 13 others. It marked the second major Russian strike on Kyiv this month.

Reuters contributed to this report.