Starmer and von der Leyen saw a "crucial moment" for Ukraine's future

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that a "turning point" had come in the negotiations on Ukraine. This was announced on December 13 by the press service of the British government after their telephone conversation.

"Both agreed that this is a watershed moment for Ukraine's future and that Europe will support them for as long as it takes to achieve a just and lasting peace," the British government said in a statement on its website.

Starmer and von der Leyen discussed the progress of work on a U.S.-led peace plan aimed at resolving the conflict. They also noted progress in attracting frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.

Sabotage demand: Kiev will again try to accuse Russia of disrupting negotiations

What else is Zelensky trying to achieve with his statements about elections and a truce?

The day before, it was reported that US President Donald Trump is exerting strong pressure on Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, seeking to obtain territorial concessions from him in the Donbas. Despite this, the US presidential administration assessed Zelensky's words about a possible referendum on a peace agreement, including territorial concessions, as a sign of progress in the negotiations.

On December 11, the Public television channel reported that Zelensky had allowed the holding of an "all-Ukrainian referendum" on the issue of territories. According to the TV channel, Zelensky said that the citizens of Ukraine should express their opinion on the issue of Ukraine leaving the controlled part of Donbass.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, responding to a question about Zelensky's proposed idea to hold a referendum to determine the affiliation of Donbass, said that all of Donbass is Russian. He recalled that the affiliation of Donbass is spelled out in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 12 that if Zelensky hopes to provide Kiev with a respite through a referendum on the territorial issue, he will not succeed. According to Peskov, Russia in Ukraine seeks peace, not a truce.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.