Ukraine…Russia Day 1401….Zelensky offers Donbas DeMilitarized Zone….

Putin isn’t gonna accept that Donbas as final deal agreement…

(We kinda KNEW Zelensky was gonna have to give up Donbas)

Putin IS  gonna hold out for more….

(Remember Trump IS on Putin’s side in this…Europe has Zelensky’s back)

Polling has most Russian’s believing the war will be over sometime in 2026…

War gains by Russia are said to be overblown ….

Putins seems to want to  limit the Ukraine’s Military Size ..

For his next push for the WHOLE Ukraine and More or worries that Ukraine might want to take back Donbas if it gets stronger post -war??

 

Zelensky IS asking for a  firm security backup from NATO and the US….

And the stationing of European or NATO troops IN Ukraine…

Ukraine would also be looking for EU membership in a year or two..….

NATO formal membership seems off the table for right now….

 

Russia to also sign a non-aggression agreement…

 

The latest draft of a peace plan agreed by U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators would see Kyiv withdrawing its troops from the eastern territories claimed by Moscow, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Briefing reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said the updated plan contemplated the designation of the eastern Donbas region — the majority of which is currently occupied by Moscow’s troops — as a demilitarized “free economic zone” in which neither Ukrainian nor Russian forces are present.

Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine is against the withdrawal, which is one of Russia’s top demands. But, he added, “there are two options: either the war continues, or something will have to be decided regarding all potential economic zones.”

The Ukrainian leader said the latest version of the plan — an update of a Trump administration proposal that both Kyiv and the European Union had initially dismissed as a “non-starter” — maintains the proposed security guarantees from the U.S., NATO and European partners that are equivalent to those outlined in Article 5 of the transatlantic alliance’s treaty.

“If Russia invades Ukraine, in addition to a coordinated military response, all global sanctions against Russia will be restored,” he said, adding that the guarantees would also be considered invalid if Kyiv takes any unprovoked military action against Moscow. Zelenskyy noted that Washington had dropped text from a previous version of the plan that proposed the U.S. receive compensation for the security guarantees.

The plan additionally proposes Russia legally adopt a strategy of non-aggression towards Ukraine and Europe. The text also accepts Kyiv’s eventual accession to the European Union, acknowledges the country’s right to demand reparations from Russia, and endorses the creation of dedicated investment instruments to fund the country’s reconstruction.

The revised text also calls for the joint administration of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by Ukrainian, Russian and American authorities. Kyiv is loath to allow Moscow to manage the complex, which has been the site of fierce fighting, but is willing to partner with the Trump administration on running infrastructure Washington considers crucial for future minerals mining operations in the country…..

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The plan also calls on Ukraine and Russia to introduce programs in their educational curricula that promote tolerance of different cultures. Kyiv would additionally be expected to implement EU regulations to protect minority religions and languages.

While those measures are likely to clash with Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to “de-Russify” the country and forge a new sense of nationhood, Zelenskyy said that adopting the rules are part of joining the EU, and he challenged Moscow to enact similar regulations, “if they dare.”…

More….

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• Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end Russia’s war, if Moscow also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarised zone monitored by international forces. The proposal offered another potential compromise on control of the Donbas region, which has been a major sticking point in peace negotiations. Washington and Kyiv have edged closer to a jointly agreed formula to end the war amid continuing uncertainty over Moscow’s response. Regardless of whether it is accepted by Moscow, it marks a success for Kyiv in rewriting an earlier US draft that had been criticised as a Kremlin wishlist. Zelenskyy said he expected US negotiators to be in contact with the Kremlin on Wednesday.

• A majority of Russians expect the war in Ukraine to end in 2026, a state pollster said, in a sign that the Kremlin could be testing public reaction to a possible peace settlement as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensify. Officials said 70% of the 1,600 respondents saw 2026 as a more “successful” year for Russia than this year, while for 55% that hope was linked to a possible end to what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

• A sunflower oil spill, caused by Russian aerial bombardments, has contaminated the shoreline around the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, killing wildlife and triggering warnings from conservationists. Odesa has been targeted with some of the heaviest strikes of the war in recent weeks, in what Ukrainian officials have slammed as an attempt to hobble Ukraine’s maritime network and its vital agricultural exports. The Pivdenny port in the region was temporarily closed on Wednesday to help with the clean-up.

• Russian air defence units downed 25 Moscow-bound Ukrainian drones on Wednesday, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Emergency crews were examining fragments where they hit the ground, but no damage was reported, he said. Two of the four major airports servicing the capital limited operations for a time, Russia’s civil aviation authority said on Telegram….

More…

ISW-Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 24, 2025

1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released the latest US-Ukrainian-European 20-point peace plan on December 23, which the United States will reportedly present to Russia.
2. The Kremlin will need to compromise on demands it has long insisted on, including many that are incompatible not only with the latest 20-point peace plan but also with the initial 28-point plan.
3. Statements from Russian State Duma deputies and insider sources about Russia’s likely discontent with the latest proposals are in line with Kremlin statements and messaging in recent weeks about Russia’s demands and uncompromising negotiating position.
4. Kremlin-affiliated milbloggers are acknowledging significant Ukrainian successes in the Kupyansk direction and criticizing the Kremlin and the Russian military command for providing false battlefield reports.
5. Russian milbloggers also acknowledged that Russia’s failures in Kupyansk indicate that Russia does not have sufficient manpower or materiel to imminently defeat the northern part of the Fortress Belt while simultaneously continuing offensive operations elsewhere.
6. Russian forces continue to strike energy infrastructure in Ukraine and particularly targeted critical infrastructure in Chernihiv Oblast overnight on December 23 and 24.
7. Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk. Russian forces recently advanced near Hulyaipole.

Daily Kos grunt Report for Today….

Note…

Reports are that Russia has suffered 1.2 Deaths and Causalities in the four years of the war with Ukraine…