Zelenskyy Vows No Compromise on Frail Peace Deal That Could Extend Ukraine Conflict
In his New Year’s message to the nation delivered late on December 31, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine seeks an end to the nearly four-year war but refuses to accept terms that would merely extend the fighting.
Speaking from his office with a holiday tree visible behind him, Zelenskyy acknowledged the profound fatigue among Ukrainians, noting that the current conflict has lasted longer than the Nazi occupation of many Ukrainian cities during World War Two. Despite this exhaustion, he stressed that the people remain resolute against capitulation.
“Ukraine desires peace, yes—but not at any price. We seek to halt the war, not to end Ukraine itself,” Zelenskyy stated in the 21-minute address, delivered shortly before midnight while wearing a traditional dark green embroidered Ukrainian shirt.
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He warned that endorsing fragile agreements would only sustain the conflict, declaring: “Are we weary? Absolutely. Does that mean we’re prepared to yield? Those who believe so are gravely mistaken.”
Zelenskyy affirmed that he would only affix his signature to a robust accord. “Every meeting, every call, every decision now aims at achieving a strong peace—one that endures for years, not just days or weeks,” he said.
The president revealed that intensive U.S.-facilitated negotiations, including his recent discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida, have brought a potential peace agreement close to completion. “The deal is 90% prepared; the remaining 10% is critical—it will shape the future of peace, Ukraine, Europe, and people’s lives,” he noted.
The primary obstacle remains territorial control. Russia occupies roughly 19% of Ukraine’s land in the south and east, yet President Vladimir Putin insists on Ukrainian forces withdrawing from sections of the eastern Donbas region that Russian troops have not fully seized.
Kyiv advocates freezing the lines at the current front, and Zelenskyy rejected Moscow’s demands as misleading. “Does anyone still trust them? Regrettably, some do,” he remarked, adding that truth is often sidestepped in favor of what is labeled diplomacy but amounts to “lies in business suits.”