What we're covering
• Ukraine has agreed to a deal to end the war with Russia with only “minor details” outstanding, a US official said, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more work needed to be done.
• It comes as US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll holds meetings with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi about a proposed plan for ending the war, according to a US official.
• Russia though could reject an amended US peace plan if its terms are “fundamentally different” to the understanding reached during the US-Russia summit in Alaska, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
• Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine traded deadly strikes overnight, killing at least seven people in Kyiv. NATO fighter jets were scrambled in Romania after at least one Russian drone entered its airspace.
Watch: Kyiv residents gloomy over peace proposal amid deadly Russian strikes
We reported earlier on a night of deadly Russian attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv — and locals have been left with little hope that advancing peace talks will deliver material results any time soon.
CNN spoke to residents outside a damaged residential building that suffered an attack from Russian drones, which killed two people.
For 50-year-old Olha Poluhina, agreeing to the peace plan as it stands would be “even worse” than the current situation.
“It may seem like salvation, but it is not salvation,” she said today.
Lidmula Gavrilyvna, a 79-year-old pensioner, broke down in tears as she longed for the return of normal life.
Remember: A US official said Ukraine has agreed to a deal to end the war with Russia with only “minor details” outstanding. The US and Russia are currently holding meetings in Abu Dhabi about the US peace proposal.
US official says Ukraine has agreed to a peace proposal as Zelensky says "much work" lies ahead
Ukraine has agreed to a deal to end the war with Russia with only “minor details” outstanding, a US official said, even as President Volodymyr Zelensky said more work needed to be done.
Speaking as the US army secretary was in Abu Dhabi holding meetings with Russian officials about the Trump administration’s proposal, the official said: “The Ukrainians have agreed to the peace deal. There are some minor details to be sorted out but they have agreed to a peace deal.”
The US statement appeared to go further than the public position of Ukrainian officials, who also have a delegation present in Abu Dhabi and who have been in contact with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
In a post on X, Ukraine’s national security secretary, Rustem Umerov, wrote that the delegations had “reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva.”
“We now count on the support of our European partners in our further steps,” Umerov wrote. He added that Ukraine looked forward to organizing a visit of Zelensky to the US to “complete final steps and make a deal with President (Donald) Trump.”
In a post on X earlier this morning, Zelensky said: “Following the meetings in Geneva, we see many prospects that can make the path to peace real. There are solid results, and much work still lies ahead.”
Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert, a spokesperson for Driscoll, said, meanwhile, that the talks between the US and Russian delegations in Abu Dhabi “are going well and we remain optimistic.”
What Ukraine and Europe have said are red lines in peace negotiations
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is holding meetings with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi about a proposed plan for ending the war in Ukraine.
The original US-drafted proposal to end the war included many ideas that have previously been put forward and rejected in earlier peace negotiations.
It put pressure on Kyiv to cede territory, limit the size of its military and promise not to join NATO in exchange for an end to the war, all long-standing Kremlin demands as Putin presses forward with his maximalist war aims.
The US proposal called for Ukraine to surrender key territories in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine that Russia has illegally annexed but not captured – a longstanding red line for Kyiv. That area includes the “fortress belt” of heavily defended Ukrainian towns and cities, which are seen as essential for the country’s security.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously rejected Russia’s calls for Ukraine to surrender the eastern Donbas region in exchange for some Russian-held parts of the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
The European Union also laid out three of its red lines on Sunday.
First, Ukraine’s “borders cannot be changed by force,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on Sunday, as top US and European officials held talks in Geneva, Switzerland.
“Second, as a sovereign nation, there cannot be limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attack and thereby also undermining European security,” von der Leyen added.
“Third, the centrality of the European Union in securing peace for Ukraine must be fully reflected. Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny,” the EU chief concluded, adding that starts with Ukraine’s reconstruction and integration into Europe’s single market and defense industrial base.
CNN’s Svitlana Vlasova, Catherine Nicholls and Kara Fox contributed to this post.
Death toll in Ukraine climbs to seven after Russia's latest strikes
Rescue workers have recovered the body of a man from under the rubble in northeastern Kyiv, Ukraine’s emergency services said Tuesday, bringing the death toll from the Russian strike on the Ukrainian capital to seven.
At least 13 others have been injured in the attacks, including a child.
Russia launched 22 missiles and 260 drones into Ukraine overnight, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Catch-up on the latest as US and Russian officials hold talks in Abu Dhabi
Let’s catch you up on the main developments we’ve been reporting today, as peace talks involving the US, Ukraine and European allies aimed at ending the war in Ukraine continue.
• US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is holding talks in Abu Dhabi about a proposed plan for ending the war in Ukraine, a US official told CNN.
• Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he had “nothing to report” about the talks, adding, “we are monitoring media reports and analyzing them carefully.”
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the amended peace plan must reflect the “spirit and letter” of the talks between Putin and Trump during their August summit in Alaska.
• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are due to hold a call of the “Coalition of the Willing” later today, which will be an opportunity for Ukraine’s allies to discuss the amended plan and how they will proceed.
• Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine traded deadly attacks overnight, killing and wounding civilians and damaging infrastructure.
Zelensky says Ukraine sees “many prospects” for peace after talks with US
Speaking after a call today with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country sees “many prospects” for peace, following talks over the weekend with US officials in Geneva, Switzerland.
After being blindsided by the original 28-point peace plan that emerged last week, Europe on Monday put forward a counterproposal that struck out some of the provisions seen to favor Russia. This was obtained by Reuters and confirmed to CNN to be accurate by European sources.
Starmer is due to hold a call of the “Coalition of the Willing,” later today, as Ukraine’s allies take stock of the recent diplomacy and discuss the amended peace plan.
“We have coordinated our positions and the priority issues for discussion, as well as some of our next steps and contacts,” Zelensky said of the meeting.
Trump wants a win but Russia must be held accountable for invasion, CNN's Thomas says
US President Donald Trump’s push for an end to the war in Ukraine is motivated by his desire for a win, CNN’s European Affairs Commentator Dominic Thomas says.
But Thomas said a sustained peace would only be possible were Russian President Vladimir Putin held accountable for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“That peace treaty will not be worth the paper it’s signed on unless there is recognition that the invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory is a violation of international law,” he added.
While Thomas said Trump’s “lack of consistency” had “undermined the process,” of implementing peace, he added the president’s presence is “absolutely incontrovertible.”
Moldova detects six drones in airspace during Russian strikes on Ukraine
Moldova said six drones had crossed into its airspace Tuesday morning, during Russia’s long-range strikes on Ukraine.
Moldova’s government said the first drone to violate its airspace was detected close to Vulcănești, near the borders with Ukraine and Romania, and that five more drones were detected across the country.
One of the drones fell on the roof of a house in northern Moldova, the government said.
In neighboring Romania, NATO also scrambled fighter jets after at least one Russian drone entered its airspace overnight into Tuesday.
Lavrov says revised peace plan must reflect “spirit and letter” of Trump-Putin summit in Alaska
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that an amended peace plan for Ukraine must reflect the “spirit and letter” of the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump during their summit in Alaska in August.
Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Lavrov said Russia had welcomed the original version of the peace plan, which surfaced last week and was seen as heavily favoring Moscow. Following US-Ukraine talks in Switzerland, the original 28-point plan has since been pared back to a 19-point plan, which has reportedly removed some of the provisions deemed unacceptable by Kyiv.
Lavrov accused Europe and Ukraine of trying to “twist” the original plan, which had been backed by US President Donald Trump, and said Russia was waiting to receive the amended version from the US.
Kremlin says initial 28-point peace plan could be a "good basis" for negotiations
The Kremlin said Tuesday that the initial 28-point peace plan, which emerged last week and was widely criticized as being favorable to Moscow, could be a “good basis” for talks about ending the war in Ukraine.
The 28-point plan, first reported last week by Axios, demanded that Ukraine cede territory to Russia, limit the size of its military, and abandon its ambition to join NATO. But following talks between the US and Ukraine in Switzerland, that plan has since been pared back to a 19-point peace deal more favorable to Kyiv, and some of the most difficult issues have been stripped out, a senior Ukrainian official told the Financial Times Monday.
The Kremlin has since said it favors the initial plan, which US President Donald Trump initially gave Ukraine less than a week to accept. That deadline has since appeared to be shelved.
“Trump’s plan is currently the only substantive one, and it could serve as a good basis for negotiations,” the Kremlin said.
It claimed that the draft of this plan was “based on the understandings reached” between the US and Russia during a summit in Alaska in August.
But the origins of the 28-point peace plan have been disputed. A US Senator described the plan as a Russian “wish list,” and analysts pointed out that the text contained several potential Russianisms, raising questions about which side wrote the draft. However, the State Department has insisted that the plan was authored by the US, “with input from both the Russians and the Ukrainians.”
The Kremlin said Tuesday that there was an “information frenzy” around the peace plan, “with many contradictory data and statements.”
"Slim chance" of peace deal, says Ukrainian security expert
There is a “slim chance” that a peace deal will be achieved during this phase of negotiations, according to an executive director at a Ukrainian security think tank.
Speaking to CNN’s Rosemary Church on Newsroom Tuesday, Alexander Khara, from the Centre for Defence Strategies, cast doubt over a Russia-Ukraine truce, citing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambition for widespread power as an obstacle.
Khara said Putin was “not willing to compromise” because Moscow wants “not just to control Ukraine but convert their losses into some geo-political gains in Europe and elsewhere.” He added that Russia had been using diplomacy as “a tool of war.”
Meanwhile, Khara said he believes Trump was “not interested” in Ukraine or the European continent, “So that’s why the war will go on,” he added.
“There is a slim chance of any peace deal coming out of this diplomatic activity,” he said.
Kremlin has “nothing to report” about US-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said today that he had “nothing to report” about US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s talks with Russian delegates in Abu Dhabi.
“We still have nothing to report. We are monitoring media reports and analyzing them carefully,” Peskov added.
The spokesperson said Moscow understands “some adjustments are being made to the previously published text,” referring to the 28-point plan to end the war that was leaked last week and which was broadly seen as being favorable to Russia.
For context: Driscoll, who now appears to be playing a prominent role in the peace talks, met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi yesterday to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine. Those talks are continuing today, a US official has told CNN.
Ukrainian official says Zelensky could visit US this month to strike deal with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could visit the United States in the next few days to finalize a peace deal with US President Donald Trump, a senior Ukrainian official has just said.
“Our delegations reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva,” Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s national security chief, wrote on social media. “We now count on the support of our European partners in our further steps.”
Umerov said Ukraine appreciated the “productive and constructive” meetings with US officials in Switzerland, as well as Trump’s “steadfast efforts to end the war.”
The US-drafted peace plan compared to the European counterproposal
The Trump administration’s 28-point proposal to end the war in Ukraine has been criticized as highly favorable to Russia.
Meanwhile, the European counterproposal, obtained by Reuters and confirmed to CNN to be accurate by European sources, is much more in line with Ukraine’s wishes.
Here are some key differences:
On territorial concessions: The US plan says that Luhansk, Donetsk and occupied Crimea will all be recognized as de facto Russian, including by the United States. It also says that Kherson and Zaporizhzhia will be frozen along the line of contact.
The European draft differs starkly, according to the version obtained by Reuters. The text reads: “Ukraine commits not to recover its occupied sovereign territory through military means. Negotiations on territorial swaps will start from the Line of Contact.”
On NATO expansion: The draft US plan includes a provision that NATO will not expand further, and stipulates that Ukraine will agree to not join NATO.
The European draft removes those provisions, saying that “Ukraine joining NATO depends on consensus of NATO members,” according to the Reuters version. It notes that consensus does not currently exist, but the language leaves the door open.
On Ukraine’s military: The US plan notes that Ukraine’s Armed Forces “will be limited to 600,000 personnel.”
The European plan suggests that the Ukrainian military is “capped at 800,000 in peacetime.” On both drafts, Russia’s far larger army is not asked to make cuts.
On future elections: The US draft also calls for Ukraine to hold elections within 100 days of a sealed agreement – something that analysts say would be an impractically short window to allow for campaigning.
The European draft only says that elections should be held “as soon as possible” after an agreement is signed.
For context: It’s worth noting that there are several other versions of the European text that have been reported in American and British news outlets, which differ from the copy Reuters obtained. The US 28-point plan may also have evolved since its original version following top leaders’ discussions in Geneva.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held meetings with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi yesterday about a proposed plan for ending the war in Ukraine, a US official told CNN
In pictures: Russia's overnight attack on Kyiv
As we’ve reported, Russia and Ukraine launched deadly strikes overnight, with both reporting deaths.
Russia’s strikes caused “extensive damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure” in Kyiv and targeted “the energy sector and everything that keeps normal life going,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The pictures below show the aftermath of the attack on Ukraine’s capital city.
Both Russia and Ukraine launched deadly strikes overnight
Russia and Ukraine traded deadly attacks overnight, killing and wounding civilians and damaging infrastructure.
Russia launched 22 missiles and 260 drones into Ukraine, killing six people and wounding 13, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The strikes caused “extensive damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure” in Kyiv and targeted “the energy sector and everything that keeps normal life going,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine, meanwhile, launched a major drone attack on Russia, killing three people and wounding eight, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry.
Russian forces intercepted and destroyed 249 Ukrainian drones, including 116 that were launched over the Black Sea, the ministry said. The strikes damaged residential buildings and homes in the Russian port city Novorossiysk, according to local officials.
The commander of Ukraine’s military drone unit, Robert Brovdi, hailed Tuesday as Kyiv’s “most productive” night in November, saying the drone attack did “deep damage” to Russia.
In Romania, NATO fighter jets were scrambled to protect its airspace as Russia attacked Ukraine overnight, according to Reuters. The jets took off after at least one Russian drone breached Romanian airspace near the border with Ukraine, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing Romania’s defense ministry.
Russian strikes caused “extensive damage," Zelensky says
Russia launched 22 missiles and more than 460 drones into Ukraine overnight, killing six people and wounding 13, said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The strikes caused “extensive damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure” in Kyiv, Zelensky said on social media on Tuesday.
Russia also struck Dnipro, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy regions, Zelensky added.
“The primary targets were the energy sector and everything that keeps normal life going.”
Zelensky thanked Ukraine’s supporters and called on the international community to put “pressure” on Russia.
US and Russian officials are meeting to discuss Ukraine as peace talks gain momentum. Here's the latest
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held meetings with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi yesterday about a proposed plan for ending the war in Ukraine, a US official told CNN.
Driscoll will continue the meetings today, which are meant to lay the groundwork for higher-level engagements, the official said.
The meetings follow days of intense diplomacy in Switzerland, where American and Ukrainian officials negotiated over the 28-point proposal, which was authored by the US with input from Russia and Ukraine.
- What Ukraine is saying: President Volodymyr Zelensky said the amended proposal drafted by US and Ukrainian officials contains “fewer points than 28, and many proper considerations have been taken into account in this framework.” He said he and Trump would discuss “sensitive issues” in the proposal. He also expressed his thanks to a flurry of world leaders, a day after Trump claimed that the Ukrainian leadership had shown “zero gratitude” for US-led peace efforts.
- What Russia is saying: The Kremlin said the original 28-point proposal “in principle, could form the basis for a final peace settlement.” President Vladimir Putin said the version of the plan he saw is “in line with the discussions” at the US-Russia summit in Alaska this year. It’s unclear which version is now under consideration.
- What the US is saying: President Donald Trump “remains hopeful and optimistic that a deal can be struck” to end the war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
- What European leaders are saying: French President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed key aspects of the peace plan proposed by the US, even as he described it as a good step. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Geneva talks established a “solid basis for moving forward,” while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte cautioned that some points still need to be worked out.
CNN’s Natasha Bertrand, Svitlana Vlasova, Caitlin Danaher, Lauren Kent, Anna Chernova, Gul Tuysuz, Catherine Nicholls, Charlotte Reck, Michael Williams, Eve Brennan, Billy Stockwell, Morgan Rimmer, Lex Harvey and Donald Judd contributed reporting to this post.
