Ukrainian servicemen patrol Verkhnotoretske village near the frontline with with Russia-backed separatists in Yasynuvata district of Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. A statement from Zelenskyy's office described "the importance of getting the United States involved in the process of a peaceful settlement" to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)