Yuri Ushakov, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, demanded that Ukraine immediately leave Donbas and rejected a proposed two-month ceasefire for a referendum on a peace plan, according to a Nexta TV report on X published between 6:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. UTC on December 28. Meanwhile, bilateral talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Miami are running late past their scheduled 8:00 p.m. Kyiv time start. Ushakov's statements represent Russia's latest position amid ongoing peace negotiations, as reported by Nexta TV during this 29-minute window. The Trump-Zelenskyy meeting follows Trump's earlier phone call with Putin on December 28 and preparations for U.S.-backed security guarantees for Ukraine, per prior reports from CNN and ABC News. In frontline developments during the same period, Ukrainian forces reported less than 5 kilometers remaining on the Tersa line ditches, with basic groundworks expected complete in a week and full fortifications in two weeks near Huliapole, according to an update from @M0nstas on X citing Sentinel mappings by @Playfra0.
