Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine wanted the war to end, but not at any cost, adding he would not sign a "weak" peace agreement that would only prolong the war.
In his New Year's Eve address, the president said his country was "10%" away from a peace deal with Russia, but cautioned that the most important issues were still unsolved and that any agreement should not reward Moscow.
Mr Zelensky also said that any agreement needed strong security guarantees to deter Russia from invading again.
"The peace agreement is 90% ready. 10% remains. And that is far more than just numbers," Mr Zelensky said in the address, posted on his Telegram account.
"Those are the 10% that will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe," he added.
"What does Ukraine want? Peace? Yes. At any cost? No. We want an end to the war but not the end of Ukraine.
"Are we tired? Very. Does this mean we are ready to surrender? Anyone who thinks so is deeply mistaken."
Mr Zelensky said any signature "placed on weak agreements only fuel the war."
"My signature will be placed on a strong agreement. And that is exactly what every meeting, every phone call, every decision is about now," he said.
The US has sought to craft a peace deal with input from both Russia and Ukraine, but has failed to reach a breakthrough on the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been pushing for full control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region as part of a deal, but Mr Zelensky said in his address that he did not believe Russia would stop at the Donbas if Ukraine withdrew.
Putin home attack claim a 'distraction', says Kallas
Earlier, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Russia's claim that Ukraine recently attacked key governmental sites in Russia is a "deliberate distraction".
"Moscow aims to derail real progress towards peace by Ukraine and its Western partners," Ms Kallas wrote X.
"No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine's infrastructure and civilians since the start of the war," she added.
Her comments come after Russia's defence ministry published a video of a downed drone that it says Ukraine launched at Mr Putin's residence in north-west Russia this week - a claim Ukraine has denied as a "lie".
Russia has called it a "terrorist attack" and a "personal attack" against Mr Putin, saying it will toughen its negotiation stance in Ukraine war talks.
Russia made the allegation shortly after Mr Zelensky held talks with US President Donald Trump in Florida.
Ukraine called the allegation it a "fabrication" intended to "manipulate" the peace process.
In a detailed briefing paper that Ukraine distributed to EU delegations yesterday and seen by Reuters, Kyiv alleged the Russian allegations were designed to "sabotage" agreements made during the Florida meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky.
The video, shot at night in the dark, showed a damaged drone lying in snow in a forested area. The ministry said the alleged attack was "targeted, carefully planned and carried out in stages".
Russia has not said where Mr Putin was at the time, saying the attack was launched on the night of 28-29 December at Mr Putin's home in the Novgorod region. His residences are normally shrouded in secrecy.
The defence ministry said the attack started around 7pm local time on 28 December and was a "mass" drone launch at Mr Putin's residence, but said his home was not damaged.
It also published a video with a man it called a witness, saying he was a local villager from the settlement of Roshchino.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Putin wishes Russians victory in Ukraine in New Year speech
Mr Putin said Russia believed it would win in Ukraine in his New Year address, devoting much of it to "fighters and commanders" in Ukraine.
Addressing soldiers, whom he called "heroes", Mr Putin said: "We believe in you and our victory."
His traditional speech was first aired in the far-eastern Kamchatka peninsula - the first Russian region to enter 2026.
Elsewhere, Russian strikes wounded six people in Odesa including three children, the Ukrainian city's military administration has said.
"Drones attacked the residential, logistical, and energy infrastructure of our region," Odesa's military administration regional head Oleg Kiper said on Telegram.
Two children aged eight and 14 were wounded in the attack, as well as a seven-month-old baby, Sergiy Lysak, head of the city's military administration, said in a separate Telegram post.
A 42-year-old man was also wounded and is in a "serious condition", he added. In his latest update he put the overall toll at six.
Elsewhere Russian drones wounded two men in the Dnipropetrovsk region, its military administration head Vladyslav Gaivanenko said on Telegram.
In Russia meanwhile, two people were wounded in a drone attack on Tuapse in the Krasnodar Krai region, municipal leader Sergei Boiko said in a Telegram post.
The attack damaged a port berth and equipment at an oil refinery as well as homes.
Munitions strikes left three people wounded in the Belgorod region, its governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.
On Sunday, Mr Trump said that a deal was closer than ever to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine but reported no apparent breakthrough on the flashpoint issue of territory after new talks with the Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin.
