MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky's new peace plan looks maximalist to Russia; US President Donald Trump seeks to play peacemaker again in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict; and US sanctions Europeans over tech regulation dispute. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Vedomosti: Zelensky's peace plan contains dealbreakers for Russia
Vladimir Zelensky has put forward a 20-point peace plan, which, according to him, Kiev is coordinating with Moscow and Washington during negotiations. On Christmas Eve, a day after Zelensky met with reporters, the Strana news outlet published excerpts from the plan. It is unclear whether the document was agreed by Ukraine and the US for submission to Moscow or merely the Ukrainian government's proposal.
Before revealing the plan's contents, Zelensky most likely coordinated with Washington, Nikolay Silayev, a leading researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Relations, told Vedomosti. However, this document cannot serve as the basis for peace; rather, it is Kiev’s negotiating position. Russia believes that only the understandings it has previously reached with US representatives can serve as a basis for dialogue, the political scientist noted.
According to Silayev, Zelensky's proposed peace plan contains several items that Moscow just cannot accept. First, the size of the Ukrainian armed forces — proposed at 800,000 servicemen in peacetime — undermines one of Moscow's main goals in the conflict: Ukraine’s demilitarization. Second, introducing educational programs on tolerance in Ukrainian schools does not equate to denazification. For that to happen, Kiev must repeal discriminatory laws. Finally, the expert pointed out that the Ukrainian leadership refuses to withdraw its troops from Donbass, which is also unacceptable to Russia.
Zelensky knows that Moscow will never accept these terms, so his goal is to drag out the negotiation process, then blame Russia when it falls apart, Ivan Skorikov, head of the Ukraine section at the CIS Institute, stressed. In addition, according to the expert, the Ukrainian leadership is trying to wait for the midterm elections to the US Congress, hoping that the Democrats will win and thus weaken Trump's position.
Izvestia: Trump looks to play peacemaker again in Thailand-Cambodia conflict
Thailand and Cambodia are once again trying to reach a ceasefire. Peace talks began on December 24 and could lead to a freeze in the conflict, experts noted. US President Donald Trump's mediation could play a key role in this, as he has once again threatened to impose tariffs on the warring parties if they do not reach an agreement.
The previous ceasefire deal was signed by Bangkok and Phnom Penh on October 26, 2025, with the mediation of the US president at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur. As Trump wants to keep his image as a peacemaker, he’d like this conflict to be another notch on his belt, Pavel Shaternikov, a junior researcher at the World Economy and International Relations Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia. However, the US leader's mediation efforts have not been very effective so far.
Thailand insists that the conflict must be settled exclusively on a bilateral basis. But without any mediators, they won’t be able to get a deal done, Grigory Kucherenko, a junior researcher at the World Economy and International Relations Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said. "That is why, in recent months, the issue of a ceasefire has been discussed in the context of US involvement in the process. Trump is threatening both sides with financial sanctions, a move that has the potential to work. However, in terms of eliminating the root causes of the conflict , they won't do that," the expert told Izvestia.
If Washington exerts enough pressure on both sides, the conflict could be frozen. Otherwise, there is a high probability that it will continue in 2026, Kucherenko emphasized.
"The situation is so tense, and people are so worked up, that even the smallest thing - for example, a farmer stepping on a mine in the border area - could cause it all to flare up again. The possibility of continued military action cannot be ruled out," Yelena Fomicheva, a senior researcher at the Center for Southeast Asia, Australia, and Oceania at the Oriental Studies Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, pointed out.
Vedomosti: Why US imposed sanctions on Europeans
The US presidential administration has imposed visa sanctions on a former high-ranking European official and employees of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) linked to the EU authorities, State Secretary Marco Rubio reported on his X page. The top diplomat also pointed out that the US is ready to add to the list if the EU refuses to "reverse course."
The most high-profile person caught in the US sanctions storm was former EU Internal Market Commissioner (2019-2024) Thierry Breton. Four activists and employees of NGOs involved in information policy and internet security issues were also subject to the same sanctions, including those from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the UK's Global Disinformation Index, and Germany's HateAid organization.
Vladimir Pavlov, a researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies, told Vedomosti that sanctions against allies are not a new global practice. He explained that Trump is gathering bargaining chips to challenge the regulatory framework of the European technology market, and this is one of them. "Retired officials and individuals who are not official EU representatives have been targeted. It's clear what this is about: the political West splintering into disparate information and technology blocs began even before the Trump administration came to power," the expert clarified.
These sanctions may also be an echo of Trump's cultural war against globalism, as Pavel Koshkin, a senior researcher at the US and Canadian Studies Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, emphasized. According to him, this is precisely why the justification uses language about censorship. In addition, Trump also wants to do Elon Musk, himself a victim of EU regulation, a favor here, thereby getting the tech billionaire to throw his weight behind the Republican campaign ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.
Izvestia: US operation against Venezuela exacerbates fuel crisis in Cuba
The US decision to impose a blockade on Venezuelan tankers subject to sanctions is hitting Cuba's energy sector hard. The island nation, which is already experiencing a severe economic crisis and shortages of essential goods, could lose up to 25% of its oil supply. Most of Cuba's fuel comes from Venezuela. Meanwhile, Washington has shifted its focus from seizing ships allegedly belonging to drug traffickers to confiscating oil tankers. At the same time, US President Donald Trump is calling on his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro to voluntarily resign and not tempt fate.
In this situation, the consequences not only threaten Venezuela but also its close ideological and political partner Cuba. "Unfortunately, the attack on Venezuela is also an attack on Cuba and Nicaragua, which are heavily dependent on Venezuelan oil. Havana, for example, receives up to 40% of its oil from Venezuela, according to various estimates, and at a significant ‘brotherly’ discount. It will be quite difficult to replace this volume, not only because of higher prices from other market players, but above all because of the US sanctions policy against Cuba," Hugo Chavez Latin American Center Director General Yegor Lidovskoy told Izvestia.
Foreign experts say that when Cuba loses its ability to obtain oil on favorable terms from Russia, Venezuela, and Mexico, it will have to purchase all of its oil on the international market, costing it billions in premiums every year. This is a significant sum for a country in the midst of a major economic crisis.
It remains unclear how far the US is willing to go to achieve its goals with regard to Venezuela. The risk of military intervention remains, as Trump continues to threaten a ground operation at every opportunity despite lacking support from Congress and the American public.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Russia recalibrates fuel export flows as Brazil pulls back diesel orders
In November, Russian diesel fuel exports to Brazil fell to their lowest level since March 2023 - 187,000 tons. At its peak in April and August, the volume was approximately 800,000-900,000 tons, the Energy and Finance Institute stated.
Diesel fuel is the main commodity in Russia's export basket of petroleum products. Brazil is one of the main importers of these products. Only Turkey and China purchase more. According to the media, one of the reasons for the decline in supplies to Brazil is the October ban on diesel fuel exports from Russia for non-producers.
Open Oil Market CEO Sergey Tereshkin told Rossiyskaya Gazeta that Russian deliveries of diesel fuel to Brazil have been declining since the beginning of 2025. This decline is influenced by the increased attention that the US has given to the South American region this year. Brazil faces an increased risk of violating sanctions against Russia's leading oil companies. Tereshkin believes that the future of these supplies will depend heavily on the geopolitical situation.
Sergey Frolov, managing partner of NEFT Research, shares this view. Russian diesel fuel is in demand on the global market, and additional volumes will find their niche once all restrictions are lifted. However, he emphasized that supplies to the domestic market remain an absolute priority.
As a result, Russia must rely more on crude oil exports, despite the consensus among experts that oil product exports are more economically advantageous.
Nevertheless, Russian oil refining capacity is currently growing slowly, and no new refineries are being built, points out Dmitry Gusev, deputy chairman of the Reliable Partner association supervisory board and member of the expert council of the AZS Russia competition. All this requires large, long-term investments, which are difficult to obtain under the current monetary and fiscal policies. Therefore, Russia exports oil, the expert explained.
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