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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said connected Friday (December 26, 2025) that helium volition conscionable with U.S. President Donald Trump successful Florida implicit the weekend.
Mr. Zelenskyy told journalists that the 2 leaders volition sermon information guarantees for Ukraine during Sunday’s talks, and that the 20-point program nether treatment “is astir 90% ready.”
The announced gathering is the latest improvement successful an extended U.S.-led diplomatic propulsion to extremity the astir four-year Russia-Ukraine war, but efforts person tally into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv.
Mr. Zelenskyy’s comments came aft helium said connected Thursday (December 25) that helium had a “good conversation” with U.S. peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters connected Friday that the Kremlin had already been successful interaction with U.S. representatives since Russian statesmanlike envoy Kirill Dmitriev precocious met with U.S. envoys successful Florida.
“It was agreed upon to proceed the dialogue,” helium said.
Mr. Trump is engaged successful a diplomatic propulsion to extremity Russia’s all-out war, which began connected Feb. 24, 2022, but his efforts person tally into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv.
Mr. Zelenskyy said connected Tuesday (December 23) that helium would beryllium consenting to retreat troops from Ukraine’s eastbound concern heartland arsenic portion of a program to extremity the war, if Russia besides pulls backmost and the country becomes a demilitarized portion monitored by planetary forces.
Though Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that determination had been “slow but dependable progress” successful the bid talks, Russia has fixed nary denotation that it volition hold to immoderate benignant of withdrawal from onshore it has seized.
In fact, Moscow has insisted that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory it inactive holds successful the Donbas — an ultimatum that Ukraine has rejected. Russia has captured astir of Luhansk and astir 70% of Donetsk — the 2 areas that marque up the Donbas.
On the ground, 1 idiosyncratic was killed and 3 others were wounded erstwhile a guided aerial weaponry deed a location successful Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, portion six radical were wounded successful a rocket onslaught connected the metropolis of Uman, section officials said Friday.
Russian drone attacks connected the metropolis of Mykolaiv and its suburbs overnight into Friday near portion of the metropolis without power. Energy and larboard infrastructure were damaged by drones successful the metropolis of Odesa connected the Black Sea.
Meanwhile, Ukraine said that it struck a large Russian lipid refinery connected Thursday utilizing U.K.-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.
Ukraine’s General Staff said that its forces deed the Novoshakhtinsk refinery successful Russia’s Rostov region.
“Multiple explosions were recorded. The people was hit,” it wrote connected Telegram.
Rostov determination Gov. Yuri Slyusar said that a firefighter was wounded erstwhile extinguishing the fire.
Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes connected Russian refineries purpose to deprive Moscow of the lipid export gross it needs to prosecute its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukraine’s powerfulness grid, seeking to contradict civilians entree to heat, airy and moving h2o successful what Ukrainian officials accidental is an effort to “weaponize winter.”
