What new peace proposals has Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to the United States, what are his conditions regarding territorial concessions and security guarantees, how has Ukraine's improved military standing — including the recapture of 745 square kilometers o

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On August 12, 2026, President Zelensky announced that Ukraine had submitted new peace proposals to U.S. negotiators, calling for greater American support to strengthen Ukraine's defense and pressure Russia to end the war . The specific contents of the latest proposals have not been made public .

Key conditions on territory and security guarantees

• No territorial concessions for a ceasefire: Zelensky has firmly ruled out withdrawing Ukrainian forces from occupied lands or freezing the conflict on Russian terms, warning that land concessions would only give Putin time to prepare another invasion .
• Earlier 20-point framework (Dec 2025): Zelensky previously unveiled a 20-point peace plan crafted with U.S. officials. It includes a non-aggression agreement between Russia and Ukraine, "Article 5–like" security guarantees from the U.S., NATO, and European states — meaning an attack on Ukraine would trigger a collective defense response — and a framework for Ukraine to retain control over the territories it currently governs .
• No NATO membership demand: The December 2025 proposal marked a shift from earlier positions that required Ukraine to relinquish territory and abandon NATO aspirations. The revised plan is more pragmatic: Ukraine seeks legally binding Western security guarantees in lieu of immediate NATO membership .

Improved military standing bolsters Ukraine's negotiating position

• 745 sq km recaptured in 2026: Ukrainian forces have liberated 745 square kilometers (288 sq miles) of Russian-occupied land since January 2026, along with 26 villages, across the southeastern front in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions . Zelensky described the operation as carried out "with precision — exactly as planned" .
• Russian advances have collapsed: Russia's daily territorial gains dropped from 13.2 sq km/day in 2025 to just 2.9 sq km/day in early 2026 . Russian forces seized only about 2,190 sq km in the first half of 2026, compared to 4,700 sq km in all of 2025, as Ukrainian counterattacks and long-range strikes have stalled Moscow's momentum .
• Long-range strikes into Russia: Ukraine has expanded its intermediate-range strike campaign, hitting military targets deeper inside Russian territory, including in the Kursk region and beyond, which has forced Russia to divert resources to defend its own soil and reduced its offensive capacity .
• Strategic leverage: Zelensky has said Ukraine wants to press for a deal now because its improved battlefield position — the ability to take territory back and strike Russian rear areas — gives Kyiv stronger leverage at the negotiating table than it would have after winter, when Russia could regain the initiative .

Status of U.S. envoy visits

• New Kyiv trip expected: U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Kyiv "soon," according to acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who said negotiations with U.S. partners are currently on hold while Kyiv awaits the visit .
• Moscow visit also planned: Witkoff and Kushner are also expected to visit Moscow as Washington seeks to restart stalled peace efforts . The envoys last visited Moscow in January 2026 for Witkoff's seventh meeting with Putin, none of which yielded significant results .
• Rubio signals renewed push: On August 2, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Washington will intensify diplomatic efforts in the coming weeks to determine whether peace talks can resume, acknowledging that Moscow and Kyiv remain "significantly divided on core issues" .

Russia's response

• Hostile to freezing the war: On August 10, Russia publicly ruled out freezing the conflict, dismissing the idea of a halt to air attacks as unacceptable .
• Rejected the 20-point plan: When the December 2025 plan was tabled, Russia was expected to reject it because it does not recognize Moscow's territorial gains and demands Western security guarantees that Russia views as a de facto NATO expansion to its border .
• Minimal diplomatic engagement: Kremlin officials have noted they had not seen a formal U.S. peace proposal as recently as late 2025, and Putin has continued to demand Ukraine's full withdrawal from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — conditions Kyiv calls a non-starter .

Why Ukraine is racing to reach a deal before winter

• Anticipated Russian energy strikes: The Institute for the Study of War forecasts that Russia will launch a major strike campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the coming weeks, aimed at disrupting power and heating during winter 2026/2027 . Ukraine's energy chief expects these attacks to be "decisive" for the war's outcome .
• Momentum expires in cold weather: Zelensky has said he wants to secure a peace framework before winter, because Ukraine's current tactical advantages — recaptured territory, slowed Russian advances, and long-range strike capability — are partially weather-dependent. Winter freezes the front lines and favors Russia's attritional warfare .
• US had set a June deadline: Earlier in 2026, the U.S. gave Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to reach a peace agreement, according to Zelensky . That deadline passed without a breakthrough, and Kyiv now sees autumn 2026 as the last window to force Moscow toward a deal before another devastating winter campaign .