Hopes for peace between Russia and Ukraine are getting smaller. This is because there are big disagreements that are hard to solve. Control over land and the nuclear power plant are big problems. Diplomatic talks happened in 2025. The United States tried to help. However, some issues could stop the peace talks.
The main problem is about land. Russia wants control of the Donbas area. This includes the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Russian generals think they can win more land. This might affect Russia's ideas for peace. Ukraine has a different idea. Ukraine wants a safe area with no weapons. Ukrainian forces would be in charge. Russia would need to leave the area. The current fighting lines would be watched by international groups. This could help reduce tension.
Many people have died in this war. Recent numbers show Russia has lost many soldiers. Since the war started in 2022, over 160,000 Russian soldiers have died. Some estimates say even more have died. More Russian soldier deaths happened in February 2025. This was when the US President and the Russian President talked. Another peak was in August 2025. This happened during another meeting. More deaths happened in October and November 2025. This was after a planned meeting was cancelled.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is also a problem. Russia has taken control of it. This plant is in Europe and is very big. It causes worry because of fighting nearby. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy said they cannot give up control. He said it is against their law. Also, many Ukrainian people live there. He said, "We can't just withdraw, it's out of our law... It's not only the law. People live there, 300,000 people... We can't lose those people." Russia's President Putin said, "If the authorities in Kyiv don't want to settle this business peacefully, we'll resolve all the problems before us by military means."
President Zelenskyy will meet European leaders on January 6th. The world is watching. Land claims, the nuclear plant, and the many deaths make peace difficult. US President Trump said there are "one or two very thorny, very tough issues." For peace, all sides need to make big changes. If these problems are not solved, the war may continue for a long time.