Kyiv has broadly agreed to a peace proposal from Donald Trump’s administration, a Ukrainian official says. Volodymyr Zelenskyy could visit the US as soon as this week to finalise a deal. Watch and follow live below.
Tuesday 25 November 2025 14:08, UK
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By Mark Stone, US correspondent
Washington woke up this morning to a flurry of developments on Ukraine.
It was the middle of the night in DC when a tweet dropped from Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s national security adviser.
He said that the US and Ukraine had reached a “common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva”.
Umerov added that Zelenskyy would travel to America “at the earliest suitable date in November to complete final steps and make a deal with President Trump”.
By sunrise in Washington, a US official was using similar but not identical language to frame progress.
The official, speaking anonymously to US media, said that Ukraine had “agreed” to Trump’s peace proposal, “with some minor details to be worked out”.
In parallel, it’s emerged that talks have been taking place in Abu Dhabi.
The Americans claim to have met both Russian and Ukrainian officials there, though the Russians have not confirmed attendance.
“I have nothing to say. We are following the media reports,” Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, told Russian state media.
Donald Trump is due to travel to Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort, tonight – where he will remain until Sunday.
Earlier this week, he set a deadline of Thursday – Thanksgiving – for some sort of agreement on his plan.
We know the plan has been changed from its original form but it’s clear that Zelenskyy wants to be seen to agree to something quickly – that would go down well with Trump.
My sense is that Zelenskyy will try to get to Mar-a-Lago as soon as he can.
Before Thursday would be a push – but would meet Trump’s deadline.
It will then be left for the Russians to state their position on the revised document.
All indications are that they will reject it.
But maybe the secret Abu Dhabi talks will yield something.
We’re now getting comments from Ukraine after reports that it has agreed to the US peace proposal.
A Ukrainian official told Reuters that Kyiv supports the “essence” of the peace deal after US-Ukraine talks in Geneva last weekend and subsequent negotiations.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will discuss some of the most sensitive outstanding issues, the official added.
Talks in Abu Dhabi are “going well”, a US army spokesperson has said.
Army secretary Dan Driscoll is holding meetings with a Russian delegation in the UAE, officials have told our US partner network NBC News.
Driscoll first met with the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening and is expected to hold more meetings again today, according to the officials.
He is also in touch with Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi, the spokesperson said.
“The talks are going well and we remain optimistic”, an army spokesman said.
“Secretary Driscoll is closely synchronised with the White House and the US interagency as these talks progress.”
While addressing the House of Commons, Keir Starmer says he has received more information on the nature of a peace deal between the US and Ukraine.
He says his “best understanding” is that they have agreed to a draft that emerged in Geneva but admits he’s receiving information secondhand while speaking to MPs.
“This isn’t a new set of proposals or agreements in any way.”
Keir Starmer is still speaking about Ukraine in the Commons.
Asked about Ukraine’s agreement to the US proposal, Starmer says he “suspects” it’s the version that emerged from Geneva.
“Every pressure” must be exerted on Russia to accept peace, he adds.
“This is about Europe, as well as being about Ukraine.
“Putin’s ambitions are not limited to Ukraine, as bordering countries are intensely aware.”
PM says girl about his daughter’s age a victim of Russian attacks
Starmer says that as he celebrated his daughter’s 15th birthday on Monday night, he saw images of a Ukrainian girl about the same age “being pulled from the rubble”.
“It’s abhorrent. It’s beyond belief. Yet Ukraine lives this same story every night in their cities and every day on the front line, where so many Ukrainians are killed fighting for their freedom.”
Keir Starmer has just been asked about the breaking news that Ukraine has agreed to a peace deal, according to US media reports.
The prime minister said he expects it could just be an update on the Geneva talks to revise the US peace plan, rather than a full and complete agreement.
But he acknowledged he would have to go away and check the latest news.
Updating MPs in the Commons, Starmer referred back to speaking with Volodymyr Zelenskyy this morning, saying: “I suspect it won’t be the whole of the agreement that needs to be reached.
“I’ll have a look at the report and look behind the headline.
“If there is anything material to report, I will of course do it.”
Watch what Starmer told MPs…
Ukraine has agreed to the peace proposal brokered by the Trump administration, with some minor details still to be worked out, according to US media reports, citing a US official.
Washington sent its initial 28-point peace plan to Kyiv last week, before officials from both countries drafted a counterproposal at crisis talks in Geneva at the weekend.
European allies, who put forward their own counterproposal to the 28-point plan, have hastily arranged a number of meetings in recent days in an effort to keep pace with negotiations.
It comes after reports that US and Russian officials, including US Army secretary Dan Driscoll, were meeting for talks in Abu Dhabi today.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is delivering a statement on Ukraine to the House of Commons.
He says the initial US 28-point peace plan draft included points that were “not acceptable”, but also had some very important elements “that will be essential for a just and lasting peace.”
He repeats a line he used yesterday, saying those two words were important – and any deal to end the war must be both “just” and “lasting”.
The discussions in Geneva over the weekend took “important steps forward” with progress between the US and Ukraine on an updated peace framework, Starmer says.
“I can reassure the House that work is ongoing to refine this plan,” the prime minister adds.
A just and lasting peace can only happen if certain conditions are met, Starmer says. These are:
Starmer also insists that there is “still a long way to go and tough road ahead”.
But he says the government is “more committed than ever to this cause”.
Speaking about Russia, the prime minister told MPs that there’s “only one nation that wants this war, only one nation that launched this illegal invasion”.
Starmer also said of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russian casualties in the war: “In total, more than one million Russians have been killed or injured – all because of the depraved ambitions of one man.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is about to update MPs in the House of Commons on the Ukraine peace plan talks, and his visit to the G20 summit in South Africa at the weekend.
Watch live via the stream below…
The Polish defence minister has called on NATO to work faster on strengthening its drone protection in eastern Europe, after multiple Russian drones crossed into Moldova and Romania (see 08.45 post).
“Operation Eastern Sentry requires reinforcement. Eight countries have declared their forces, this must be accelerated,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
“This is also a conclusion if this violation is confirmed today.”
The Romanian defence ministry said it was forced to scramble jets after two drones breached its airspace near its border with Ukraine.
For context: Last month, the European Commission outlined the European Drone Defence Initiative – previously known as a “drone wall” – and Eastern Flank Watch as two of its flagship defence projects in a drive to get the continent ready to defend itself by 2030.
The Commission, the EU’s executive body, said both projects should have initial capacity by the end of next year.
It said the drone project should be fully functional a year later and “flank watch” should reach that status at the end of 2028.
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