Efforts to advance negotiations on the Russia-Ukraine conflict are unfolding on several fronts, with both the United States and European leaders weighing possible paths toward peace.

The Trump administration is pushing hard for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept the latest edition of a U.S.-brokered peace deal – one that may entail significant territorial concessions for Ukraine, according to U.S. online media outlet Axios.

Citing two Ukrainian officials, Axios reported on Monday that U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner discussed the plan with Zelenskyy in a two-hour call this past Saturday – requiring a clear "yes" from the Ukrainian leader.

Asked in a Politico interview released on Tuesday whether he had set a timeline for Zelenskyy to decide on the deal, Trump said on Monday: "Well, he's gonna have to get on the ball and start, uh, accepting things ... 'cause he's losing."

The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that Trump was hoping for a deal agreed "by Christmas." Zelenskyy told the U.S. mediators that he needed time to consult with European allies.

Witkoff and Kushner concluded three days of talks with Ukraine's top negotiators in Miami on Saturday. The sessions followed a roughly five-hour meeting in Moscow the prior week, where they met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During the negotiations, Russia demanded that Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, including lands under Kiev's control.

"It felt like the U.S. was trying to sell us in different ways the Russian desire to take the whole of Donbas and that the Americans wanted Zelenskyy to accept all of it in the phone call," a Ukrainian official told Axios.

Trump said at an event on Sunday that he was "a little bit disappointed" to hear Zelenskyy had not read the proposal, hours after Zelenskyy depicted the peace talks with the U.S. as "constructive" but "not easy."

Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss Ukraine peace in London on Monday.

According to a British government statement, the leaders underscored the need for a "just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

At the same time, in Europe, there are growing calls for renewed dialogue with Russia as part of the broader push for a settlement.

Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, a former secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), on Tuesday called on Europe to maintain communication with Russia to help end the war in Ukraine.

Speaking alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb during a panel discussion hosted by the Atlantic Council of Finland, Stoltenberg said, "Russia remains a neighbor."

Stressing that dialogue is necessary to help resolve the conflict in Ukraine, he said arms control would need to be a major focus in any later stage of negotiations..

Stoltenberg also urged Europe to engage with Russia now so that it can help shape global developments.

Stubb added that the chance for peace in Ukraine is now "closer than ever" since the beginning of the conflict - but warned that possible territorial concessions and future security guarantees for Ukraine remain among the most difficult issues.

Stubb noted that Finland, along with many other countries supporting Ukraine, has pledged to take part in post-war security arrangements, but will not provide formal security guarantees. He said negotiators are working on a 20-point framework plan that will include security guarantees and a reconstruction scheme, though major territorial issues remain unresolved.

After the event, Stubb told Finnish public broadcaster Yle, "We are not finished yet, and the most difficult questions are still open."

(With input from agencies)