Trump’s Ukraine peace deal 'on brink of collapse' as US President tears into 'stupid, weak' European leaders

Day 1,384.

Today, as President Zelensky appears to reject Donald Trump’s proposal for Ukraine to cede territory to Moscow, we examine the new European plan set to be presented to the US later. We also report on how Ukrainian troops are still holding out in the frontline city of Pokrovsk, before turning to developments inside Russia: Putin’s new law requiring 100,000 military reservists to undergo two months of training, growing protests over tax rises, and the outcomes of his visit to India, where he signed a series of deals with Prime Minister Modi.

Contributors

Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.

Dom Nicholls (Associate Editor for Defence). @DomNicholls on X.

James Kilner (Foreign Correspondent). @jkjourno on X.

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Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Trump’s Ukraine peace deal on brink of collapse (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/08/ukraine-russia-war-latest-starmer-zelensky-trump-putin/

Zelensky meets Pope ahead of peace talks with Meloni (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/09/zelensky-appeals-for-european-support-for-new-peace-deal/

Ukrainians raise flag to show BBC the fight goes on in city claimed by Russia (BBC):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd6x3vv7y60o

Trump thrashes European leaders in wide-ranging interview: ‘I think they’re weak’ (POLITICO):

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/09/trump-dasha-burns-interview-europe-immigration-ukraine-00682016?utm_content=topic/politics&utm_source=flipboard

Zelensky reveals candidates for Yermak's replacement as Presidential Office head (Kyiv Independent):

https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-reveals-candidates-for-new-head-of-ukraines-presidents-office/

Trumpian Corruption Is Worse Than Ukrainian Corruption (Anne Applebaum in The Atlantic):

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2025/12/ukraine-fighting-corruption-trump/685162/

Exclusive: US extracted top spy from inside Russia in 2017 (The Telegraph):

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/09/politics/russia-us-spy-extracted

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