Ukraine war briefing: Witkoff shuttles into Moscow to hear Putin’s demands

<p>Zelenskyy says redrafted peace plan ‘looks better’ but Kaja Kallas fears Moscow meeting will wrongfully put pressure on Kyiv rather than Kremlin. What we know on day 1,378</p><p>An <strong>intensified diplomatic push to end the nearly four-year war </strong>has continued, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy visiting Paris on Monday – a day after the Ukrainian president’s team held talks with US officials – and <strong>Vladimir Putin due to meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday</strong>.</p><p><strong>Zelenskyy, speaking in Paris, said the Kremlin’s claims of battlefield advances were </strong>exaggerated. He said <strong>Ukraine’s priorities remained security guarantees, sovereignty and territorial integrity,</strong> as he insisted that Russia must not get rewards for its aggression on Ukraine. He said he <strong>hoped to have talks with the US president, Donald Trump, to discuss next steps</strong> once Steve Witkoff is back from his talks in Russia.</p><p>Ukraine’s president said that after revisions the <strong>peace plan circulating between Ukraine, Russia and Washigton “looks better”</strong> and the work will continue. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, warned however that talks between the Putin and Witkoff will again pile pressure on Ukraine to make concessions, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/01/diplomacy-talks-negotiations-end-ukraine-war-russia-eu-kaja-kallas">write Jennifer Rankin</a><em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/01/diplomacy-talks-negotiations-end-ukraine-war-russia-eu-kaja-kallas"> </a></em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/01/diplomacy-talks-negotiations-end-ukraine-war-russia-eu-kaja-kallas">and</a><em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/01/diplomacy-ta