Zelenskyy says meeting with Trump to happen in 'near future'

A gathering with U.S. President Donald Trump volition hap “in the adjacent future,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said connected Friday (December 26, 2025), signalling advancement successful talks to extremity the astir four-year warfare betwixt Russia and Ukraine.

“We are not losing a azygous day. We person agreed connected a gathering astatine the highest level — with President Trump successful the adjacent future,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote connected X.

“A batch tin beryllium decided earlier the New Year,” helium added.

Mr. Zelenskyy's announcement came aft helium said connected Thursday helium had a “good conversation” with U.S. peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Mr. Trump has unleashed an extended diplomatic propulsion to extremity the war, but his efforts person tally into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv.

Mr. Zelenskyy said connected Tuesday helium would beryllium consenting to retreat troops from the country's eastbound concern heartland arsenic portion of a program to extremity the war, if Moscow besides pulls backmost and the country becomes a demilitarized portion monitored by planetary forces.

Though Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said connected 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, Russian drone attacks connected the metropolis of Mykolaiv and its suburbs overnight into Friday near portion of the metropolis without power.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said it struck a large Russian lipid refinery Thursday utilizing British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

Ukraine's General Staff said 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 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 Ukrainian powerfulness grid, seeking to contradict civilians entree to heat, airy and moving h2o successful what Kyiv officials accidental is an effort to “weaponise winter”.