Russia has recently stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, leaving the streets of Kyiv in darkness on Tuesday due to power outages caused by air strikes. Ukraine’s national oil and gas company recently accused Moscow of being determined to cut off heating and power supplies to civilians, warning that Ukraine could face the toughest winter since the outbreak of the war.

Sources revealed that envoys of U.S. President Donald Trump have demanded that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy respond within days to the U.S.-proposed peace plan for Ukraine, hoping that Ukraine will accept the agreement, which trades territorial concessions for unspecified U.S. security guarantees.

Citing informed officials, Britain’s Financial Times reported on Tuesday (December 9) that Zelenskyy told European leaders that Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy for the Middle East, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, urged him to make a speedy decision during a phone call on Saturday (December 6). Zelenskyy replied that he needed time to consult with European allies on the matter. It is reported that Trump hopes to finalize the deal before Christmas.

Quoting anonymous Ukrainian officials, U.S. news website Axios stated that the U.S. side appears to want a clear nod from Zelenskyy. “It feels like the U.S. is in various ways pushing us to accommodate Russia’s intention to seize control of the entire Donbas region, and wants Zelenskyy to accept all of this over the phone.”

U.S. officials, however, denied that Washington is favoring Moscow, stressing that the U.S. is also pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to soften his stance.

Asked whether he had set a deadline for Zelenskyy to accept the agreement, Trump told U.S. news website Politico in an interview on Monday (December 8) simply: “He’s got to hurry up and start accepting reality... because he is losing the war.”

Considering some elements of the U.S. proposal unacceptable, Ukraine has been holding intensive consultations with European allies. On Monday, Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in London.

Ukraine and its European allies have split the 28-point peace plan proposed by the U.S. into three documents: a 20-point framework agreement, a U.S.-EU document on security guarantees for Ukraine, and a document on Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.

Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he hopes to submit a revised version of the plan to the U.S. side on Wednesday. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he believes Russia and Ukraine are “quite close” to reaching an agreement.

In response to Trump’s call for Ukraine to hold elections, Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he is willing to hold new elections within two or three months if the U.S. and European allies can guarantee the security of the polls. He will ask the Ukrainian parliament to prepare relevant legislative proposals to enable elections to be held during the period of martial law.

In recent months, Russian forces have intensified air strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and made steady advances on the southeastern battlefield. For its part, Ukraine is facing a shortage of military funding due to reduced U.S. aid.

Military Aid to Ukraine Plunges Sharply in the Second Half of the Year

Data released by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank, on Wednesday (December 10) showed that military aid to Ukraine dropped significantly in the second half of 2025, as Europe failed to fill the gap left by the suspension of U.S. assistance.

Earlier this year, after Trump cut military aid to Ukraine, Europe pledged nearly 20 billion euros to Ukraine between March and June, a record high that was sufficient to cover the overall aid shortfall. But this momentum could not be sustained, with Europe providing less than 8 billion euros in aid to Ukraine from July to October.

According to statistics, Ukraine received an average of 41.6 billion euros in aid annually from 2022 to 2024, of which 21.4 billion euros came from the U.S. In the first ten months of this year, Ukraine’s total aid amounted to 32.5 billion euros, still short of 9.1 billion euros to reach the annual average level. If the current situation persists, the new aid allocated to Ukraine this year will be the lowest since the war broke out in 2022.

Russia has recently stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, leaving the streets of Kyiv in darkness on Tuesday due to power outages caused by air strikes. Ukraine’s national oil and gas company recently accused Moscow of being determined to cut off heating and power supplies to civilians, warning that Ukraine could face the toughest winter since the outbreak of the war.

Sources revealed that envoys of U.S. President Donald Trump have demanded that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy respond within days to the U.S.-proposed peace plan for Ukraine, hoping that Ukraine will accept the agreement, which trades territorial concessions for unspecified U.S. security guarantees.

Citing informed officials, Britain’s Financial Times reported on Tuesday (December 9) that Zelenskyy told European leaders that Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy for the Middle East, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, urged him to make a speedy decision during a phone call on Saturday (December 6). Zelenskyy replied that he needed time to consult with European allies on the matter. It is reported that Trump hopes to finalize the deal before Christmas.

Quoting anonymous Ukrainian officials, U.S. news website Axios stated that the U.S. side appears to want a clear nod from Zelenskyy. “It feels like the U.S. is in various ways pushing us to accommodate Russia’s intention to seize control of the entire Donbas region, and wants Zelenskyy to accept all of this over the phone.”

U.S. officials, however, denied that Washington is favoring Moscow, stressing that the U.S. is also pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to soften his stance.

Asked whether he had set a deadline for Zelenskyy to accept the agreement, Trump told U.S. news website Politico in an interview on Monday (December 8) simply: “He’s got to hurry up and start accepting reality... because he is losing the war.”

Considering some elements of the U.S. proposal unacceptable, Ukraine has been holding intensive consultations with European allies. On Monday, Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in London.

Ukraine and its European allies have split the 28-point peace plan proposed by the U.S. into three documents: a 20-point framework agreement, a U.S.-EU document on security guarantees for Ukraine, and a document on Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.

Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he hopes to submit a revised version of the plan to the U.S. side on Wednesday. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he believes Russia and Ukraine are “quite close” to reaching an agreement.

In response to Trump’s call for Ukraine to hold elections, Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he is willing to hold new elections within two or three months if the U.S. and European allies can guarantee the security of the polls. He will ask the Ukrainian parliament to prepare relevant legislative proposals to enable elections to be held during the period of martial law.

In recent months, Russian forces have intensified air strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and made steady advances on the southeastern battlefield. For its part, Ukraine is facing a shortage of military funding due to reduced U.S. aid.

Military Aid to Ukraine Plunges Sharply in the Second Half of the Year

Data released by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank, on Wednesday (December 10) showed that military aid to Ukraine dropped significantly in the second half of 2025, as Europe failed to fill the gap left by the suspension of U.S. assistance.

Earlier this year, after Trump cut military aid to Ukraine, Europe pledged nearly 20 billion euros to Ukraine between March and June, a record high that was sufficient to cover the overall aid shortfall. But this momentum could not be sustained, with Europe providing less than 8 billion euros in aid to Ukraine from July to October.

According to statistics, Ukraine received an average of 41.6 billion euros in aid annually from 2022 to 2024, of which 21.4 billion euros came from the U.S. In the first ten months of this year, Ukraine’s total aid amounted to 32.5 billion euros, still short of 9.1 billion euros to reach the annual average level. If the current situation persists, the new aid allocated to Ukraine this year will be the lowest since the war broke out in 2022.