Latest updates: UN meeting now after U.S., Russia propose peace plan for Ukraine

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The United Nations Security Council is holding a briefing at 3 p.m. ET on the “maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.” We’re carrying a livestream of the briefing at the top of this page.

Zelenskyy said he had spoken with U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll and would be working on points of the proposed peace plan.

"Our teams — Ukraine and the U.S.A. — will work on the points of the plan to end the war. We are ready for constructive, honest and prompt work," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram after the meeting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made an appearance in a video released to Russian media, but he did not speak about the proposed peace plan.

The Kremlin said that Putin had visited the command post of the Russian forces' west grouping where he had met with the chief of Russia's general staff, Valery Gerasimov, and top military brass, Reuters reports.

Putin had been briefed on the situation in Kostiantynivka and Kramatorsk in Ukraine's Donetsk region as well as around Kupyansk in Kharkiv region, the Kremlin said.

Gerasimov told Putin that the Russian forces had taken control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, as well as over 80 per cent of Vovchansk, according to Reuters.

David Michael Lamb

One of the key sticking points in negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine is about territory in the east.

As recently as last month, Russia repeated its demand that it take control of all of the Donbas region as a condition for peace. At the moment, however, Russia doesn't control all of it, so if that were to happen, Ukraine would be handing over more of its own territory.

Ukraine and the U.S. Have so far opposed that, saying front lines should be frozen where they are now. This dispute is a key reason why Trump cancelled a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest, which was to happen this month. The latest plan, however, signals a change in the U.S.'s position.

Other Russian demands have included a steep reduction of Ukraine's armed forces, and guarantees it will never join NATO.

Aside from the NATO demand, the details of the peace plan appear to grant Russia most or all of what it wants.

"We are ready now, as before, to work constructively with the American side, as well as with our partners in Europe and around the world so that the outcome is peace," a statement published on Telegram said.

"The EU has a very clear two-point plan. First, weaken Russia. Second, support Ukraine," said Kallas.

Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha briefed his fellow ministers on what Kallas described as the "Ukrainian perspective."

"Our position hasn't changed. For any peace plan to succeed it has to be supported by Ukraine and it has to be supported by Europe. If Russia really wanted peace, it would have accepted the unconditional ceasefire offer already in March," he said.

Kallas highlighted the 26 people killed in Ternopil, western Ukraine on Wednesday.

Ukrainian officials said Russia launched more than 470 drones and 48 missiles in the barrage that hit multiple cities.

Dozens of people who lived in the two highrise buildings remain unaccounted for. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Wednesday that nearly 100 people had been hurt, according to Reuters.

"Russia has repeatedly paid lip service for peace talks and previous talks fell apart because Russia never made any real commitments. The pressure must be on the aggressor, not on the victim," said Kallas.

Ukraine is facing its biggest political crisis since the war began after a major corruption probe uncovered an alleged $100 million US scheme involving the state nuclear agency.

The investigation into the plot to control contracting at the agency — driven by anti-corruption efforts aimed at reassuring donors that Kyiv is ready for membership in the European Union — has captivated the public with leaked tapes of suspects discussing damning details, according to Reuters.

Parliament voted yesterday to dismiss Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk and Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who was also a former energy minister. Both deny wrongdoing.

Zelenskyy has pledged an overhaul of the energy sector and imposed sanctions on the scandal's main suspect, Timur Mindich, co-owner of the Kvartal-95 TV production company that launched the president's acting career.

Officials say Mindich has left the country and his studio says he no longer plays a decision-making role there.

The scandal has put pressure on Zelenskyy, as opposition figures call for sweeping changes, including a new government and a reformed presidential administration.

David Michael Lamb

The peace plan has not been confirmed by official U.S. Or Russian sources, so details are lacking. But Ukrainian sources say if implemented, it would make Ukraine's military smaller, which is undoubtedly something Russia wants.

From what we know so far, there would be limits placed on the size of Ukrainian forces, and at least some shipments of long-range weaponry would end. In return, the U.S. Would offer security guarantees, which could mean a promise to counter any further Russian aggression — but there's no clarity on that yet.

It's also not clear what would happen to the huge amount of military and financial help Europe is giving to Ukraine. Would that be curtailed or ended? It's hard to imagine Europe agreeing to a significant pullback in military help. The EU has long said that if Russia wins in Ukraine, it won't stop there, and will target other parts of Europe.

David Michael Lamb

It's striking that in the initial reporting of the peace plan, mainly by Axios and the Financial Times, Europe is hardly mentioned.

Europe has been a strong backer of Ukraine. According to EU figures, the bloc has sent it nearly $197 billion US ($277 billion Cdn) in financial, military, humanitarian and refugee assistance since the start of the war. So far, European leaders have shown no sign of pulling back.

But the new peace plan says at least some shipments of long-range weaponry would come to an end. Is that just U.S. Shipments? Or would Europe be expected to do the same? It's not clear yet.

The EU's foreign policy chief said today the plan would need to have Europeans and Ukrainians on board for it to work. But it's unclear what it would take for the EU to agree, or whether that even matters to the U.S. And Russia.

Outnumbered and nearly surrounded in key Ukrainian city

As Russian troops push into Pokrovsk, Ukrainian troops try to defend a city on the brink. Fudge factor (Nov. 12, 2025): A previous edition of this picture had wrong titles of deuce members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. "Goose" is part of the 68th Separate Jaeger Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces and Col. Volodymyr Polevyi is from the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This has been corrected and reuploaded.

I'm Briar Stewart, a correspondent based in London. While Russia's offensive on the battlefield has kept grinding on, it is on the verge of capturing the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

Before the war, it had a population of 60,000 residents and was a key rail and transportation hub. Now it's estimated that there are 1,000 residents sheltering in basements as small groups of Russian troops battle street-to-street against Ukrainians.

Soldiers told me that it's an infantry battle now because it's too risky to bring in large equipment and vehicles, which are quickly targeted by drones circling above.

Front-line maps show that Russian troops have moved throughout Pokrovsk, and have come closer to encircling the city of Myrnograd to the east. One drone operator told me that some of Ukraine's best brigades were stationed in that city trying to defend it as Russia tries to seize a bigger chunk of Donbas.

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