US Says Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire 'Really Close' As Kremlin Demands Radical Changes To Proposal

US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war was “really close” and it only depended on resolving just two major issues. However, Kremlin said radical changes were needed to some of the US proposals.

Reuters quoted Kellogg, who will be stepping down in January, telling the Reagan National Defense Forum that efforts to resolve the conflict were in “the last 10 metres” which he said was always the hardest.

He further said the two key outstanding issues were on territory, particularly about the future of Donbas, and the future of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control.

“If we get those two issues settled, I think the rest of the things will work out

fairly well,” he said on Saturday. “We’re almost there. We’re really, really close.”

According to Reuters, after President Vladimir Putin held four hours of Kremlin talks last week with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, said “territorial problems” were discussed. The territory here means the whole of Donbas which Russia claims though Ukraine controls at least 5,000 square km of the area.

The Russian media quoted Ushakov saying on Sunday that the US would have to “make serious, I would say, radical changes to their papers” on Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia carried out a large-scale missile and drone attack across Ukraine overnight, striking multiple regions.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 51 missiles and 653 drones in one of the biggest attacks in recent months. Air defences intercepted 585 drones and 30 missiles, but 29 locations were hit across the country.

At least eight people were injured nationwide, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. Three of them were in the Kyiv region, where authorities said debris damaged residential areas. Drone activity was also recorded near the western Lviv region, far from the front lines.

Ukraine’s national energy operator Ukrenergo said the barrage was aimed at power stations and energy infrastructure, marking yet another attempt by Russia to weaken the country’s electricity grid as temperatures continue to fall.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces targeted the Ryazan Oil Refinery inside Russia. Both Ukrainian officials and Russian regional authorities acknowledged the strike, though Moscow avoided confirming damage to the refinery.