The Japan Times - Zelensky says deal to end war '10 percent' away

US-led efforts to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II have gained pace in recent weeks, but both sides remain at odds over the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement.

Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine, is pushing for full control of the country's eastern Donbas region as part of a deal -- but Kyiv has warned ceding ground will embolden Moscow.

In his New Year's Eve address, Zelensky said his country wanted an end to the war but not at "any cost", and that any agreement needed strong security guarantees to deter Russia from invading again.

"The peace agreement is 90 percent ready. Ten percent remains. And that is far more than just numbers," Zelensky said in the address, posted on his Telegram account.

"Those are the 10 percent that will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe," he added.

Zelensky's speech came just hours after US officials, including top envoy Steve Witkoff, held a call with Ukrainian and European security advisers on the next steps to end the nearly four-year conflict.

The war, now entering its fifth calendar year, has resulted in a tidal wave of destruction that has displaced millions and left entire Ukrainian cities in ruins.

- 'Believe in victory' -

President Vladimir Putin urged Russians to believe in victory in Ukraine during his annual New Year's Eve address, his fourth since the war began.

The Russian leader has consistently told his citizens that the military intends to seize the rest of Ukrainian land he has proclaimed as Russian by force if talks fail.

Addressing soldiers, whom he called "heroes", Putin said in his address: "We believe in you and our victory."

The Kremlin said this week it would "toughen" its negotiating position on ending the war, after accusing Ukraine of launching dozens of drones at Putin's lakeside residence in the Novgorod region between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Moscow on Wednesday published footage of a drone it said Kyiv had sent toward the residence.

Russia has called it a "personal" and "terrorist attack" and against Putin, saying it will toughen its negotiation stance in the Ukraine war talks.

The video, shot at night, showed a damaged drone lying in the snow in a forested area. The defence ministry said the alleged attack was "targeted, carefully planned and carried out in stages."

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which documents the Ukraine-Russia conflict, said Tuesday it had not seen any "footage or reporting that typically follows Ukrainian deep strikes to corroborate the Kremlin's claims of Ukrainian strikes threatening Putin's residence in Novgorod Oblast".

Putin has not publicly commented on the attack -- aside from the Kremlin saying he had informed Trump about it in a call -- and Moscow has not said where the Russian leader was at the time.

Putin's residences and private life are shrouded in secrecy in Russia.

K.Abe--JT