Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that there is no news regarding negotiations between Russia and the United States for a settlement in Ukraine. Asked by journalists about an Axios report that the United States is consulting with Russia to develop a plan for a settlement in Ukraine, Peskov stated: “No, so far there is nothing new to report to you.” Moscow is nevertheless ready to negotiate a Ukrainian settlement, Peskov emphasized. The pause in the negotiating process was Kiev’s fault, the Russian presidential spokesman noted.
On November 19, according to the Wall Street Journal: “U.S. Army Secretary Driscoll will travel to Russia after talks with Zelensky in Kiev to resume peace talks on Trump’s behalf.” “The Secretary will travel to Ukraine to verify the facts firsthand. He will participate in meetings in Ukraine and report his findings to the White House. The president has made it clear that it is time to stop the killing and reach an agreement to end the war,” a senior administration official said.
The WSJ calls it unusual for a civilian Army chief to participate in the talks. According to one official, the idea of sending Driscoll, a classmate of Vice President Vance at Yale Law School, to Kiev and then Moscow arose during a conversation between Trump and Vance. Witkoff helped Driscoll prepare for the Kiev talks. He was also briefed at a US base in Germany. Peskov stated that Russian representatives are not expected to contact US Army Secretary Driscoll.
A framework agreement to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will be agreed upon by all parties this week, US sources reiterated to Politico.
Trump’s peace plan is reportedly comprised of 28 points. It would include a relinquishment of territory to Kiev and a reduction of up to 40% of the army. No foreign troops would be deployed on Ukrainian soil. No long-range weapons would be delivered to Kiev. A demilitarized zone is also envisaged in Donbas and the return of some southern territories to Russia. Source: Axios
“According to the plan, the Donbas territories from which Ukraine will withdraw will be considered a demilitarized zone, and Russia will not be able to deploy troops there. The current front lines in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions will remain, and Russia will return some territories under negotiation,” Axios writes.
“The window of opportunity to end the war in Ukraine will open in mid-February,” says Kirill Budanov, head of the General Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. She also believes that without Trump’s intervention, there is no chance of ending the fighting.
According to Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod: “Afterwards, we will have a new interim government that will prepare the country for elections, conduct negotiations, and sign a peace agreement.” According to Skorokhod, Andriy Yermak’s dismissal isn’t even a parliamentary issue, but rather a matter of Zelensky’s potential “self-preservation.” “Afterwards, we will see the terms of the peace negotiation process. Then we will have an interim government, whatever you want to call it: ‘anti-crisis,’ ‘anti-corruption,’ but it will be a government for a few months that will prepare the country for elections, conduct the negotiation process, and sign a conciliation agreement,” she stated.
But some Ukrainian sources have already told the Financial Times: “Ukraine rejects the US peace plan.” The newspaper notes that, according to Ukrainian officials, the plan fully complies with the Kremlin’s maximalist demands and will not be implemented in Ukraine without significant changes.
U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv on Wednesday to discuss continued and future cooperation between Ukraine and the United States in developing and improving defense systems, including air defense systems, as well as drones and long-range missiles.
Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, and previously for Russia, has informed his colleagues that he intends to resign in January 2026, citing frustration with the heavy workload and the large number of administration officials working separately on Ukraine, as well as the fact that, in his view, the administration still fails to acknowledge that Russia, not Ukraine, is stalling on peace talks, Reuters reports.
His resignation will be unwelcome news for Kiev, as he was widely perceived by European diplomats, including Ukrainian ones, as a “sympathetic ear” in an administration that has at times been inclined to Moscow’s views on the causes of the conflict in Ukraine. Kellogg has occasionally clashed with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has echoed some of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s points and advocated a unilateral territorial exchange as part of a long-term peace agreement with Ukraine.
On November 20, NBC reported: “President Trump endorsed the American program to end the war in Ukraine, developed jointly with Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff.” “It provides security guarantees for both sides.” The fact is that US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff canceled a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on November 19, after it became clear that Zelenskyy had no intention of discussing the new US plan for a peace agreement with Ukraine, Axios reports.
On November 20, Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the matter, saying, “Ending the complex and deadly war in Ukraine requires a broad exchange of serious and realistic ideas.” According to the US Secretary of State, achieving a lasting peace requires both sides accepting “difficult but necessary concessions.” “That’s why we are developing and will continue to develop a list of potential ideas to end this war, based on proposals from both sides of the conflict,” he noted.
Late in the morning of November 20, AP reported: “Senior U.S. military officials, including Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Secretary of State Dan Driscoll, are in Ukraine to assist in peace talks with Russia. Last week, Trump reportedly appointed Driscoll as a “special envoy” to resume negotiations. A source confirmed to the AP that Driscoll plans to meet with Zelensky this week.”
It appears the issues to be resolved are still the same: “Stopping the war along the front lines, neutrality towards NATO, the language issue, and the size of the army are the areas agreed upon between the United States and Russia,” said Rada MP Anna Skorokhod. “If we’re talking about territories, they will most likely be along the demarcation line. Unfortunately, that has changed. The question of NATO will also arise—non-aligned status, neutrality. The linguistic issue will also arise, although, in my opinion, they’re exaggerating a problem that doesn’t actually exist: it’s simply being created to fuel tension in society and pit people against each other,” he believes.
The territorial issue, however, would have to be resolved by a national vote under Ukrainian law. Finally, Kremlin spokesman Peskov reiterated: “Putin has no plans to meet with US Army Secretary Driscoll.”
The Italian Supreme Court has ordered the extradition to Germany of Ukrainian citizen and SBU officer Serhiy Kuznetsov, suspected of organizing and coordinating the operation to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022.
Investigations into the massive corruption scandal in Ukraine continue; the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have conducted searches at the Ukrainian company Naftogaz. TASS reports that the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Ukrainian Justice Minister Herman Galushchenko. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has suspended publication of materials on the corruption case against businessman Timur Mindich, according to local broadcaster NV, citing a source within anti-corruption agencies. The source claims this is due to the martial law currently in effect in the country. “What businessman Timur Mindich was doing in Ukraine isn’t just about energy. It’s also about weapons. NABU processed its energy-related cases faster than its weapons-related ones,” NV cited the source as saying.
Russia has transferred 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen to Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters. The Russian side has not yet announced the exchange. Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, together with specialized institutions of the Ministry of the Interior, will conduct the examinations and identify the bodies.
And now a look at the frontline as of 3:30 PM on November 20. In the Bryansk region, the AFU attacked the settlement of Pogar using “Darts” drones. Three drones damaged the windows of an administrative building, the roofs of production facilities, and two civilian vehicles.
In the direction of Sumy, they continue Positional battles. In the Andriivka and Varachyne areas, joint fire destroyed combat groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Ukrainian Border Guards. In the Tetkino and Glushkovsky District sectors, FPV units and artillery struck Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Iskryskivshchyna area.
In the Belgorod region of Russia, in the settlement of Krasnaya Yaruga, an FPV drone hit a truck, injuring one person. A second drone exploded on the road, shattering apartment windows. Gora-Podol, Dorogosh, Yasnye Zori, Nikolskoye, Otradnoye, Baytsury, Dolgoye, and Kazinka were hit. Three other drone strikes damaged villages on the Ukrainian-Russian border.
In the direction of Kharkiv, the “Northern” group, according to Russian military sources, is “pushing the Ukrainians out of Vovchansk.” The control zone is expanding near Dvorichna and in the Synelnykove area. The Ukrainian Armed Forces view these actions as an attempt to push Ukrainian reserves away from Kupyansk.
South of Kupyansk, the “Western” group reports an advance towards Bohuslavka, toward the settlement of Novoplatonivka.
In the direction of Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian Armed Forces admit on social media that in the northwestern part of the city, Russian troops have entrenched themselves and are continuing to advance from the Pokrovsk side and along the railway toward Hryshyne, where Kiev forces are trying to build a new defense line. In Myrnohrad, Russian forces are targeting Ukrainian forces with FAB-3000 bombs.
The “East” group is posing increasing risks to the Ukrainians in Hulyaijpole, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces have carefully prepared for defense. Furthermore, units of the Russian group are fighting their way toward the Radisne-Nove Zaporizhzhyatra line despite Ukrainian counterattacks.
On the Zaporizhia front, battles are ongoing in Stepnohirsk and Kamyanske. Reports of positional battles and Ukrainian counterattacks have come in from Malaya Tokmachka.
Graziella Giangiulio
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