Russian Strike on Odesa Kills Eight, Wounds Dozens
A Russian ballistic missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa killed at least eight people and wounded twenty-seven (CNN)
The Kyiv Independent reported that Russian attacks have caused chronic power outages in Odesa city since December 13 (Kyiv Independent)
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian drones hit a Russian oil rig, the military patrol ship Okhotnik, and a drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea that is operated by Russian oil giant Lukoil (AP)
EU Agrees to $105 Billion Loan for Ukraine After Frozen Assets Plan Fails
EU countries will lend $105 billion to Ukraine, bloc leaders decided (Reuters)
Money for the loan will be backed by the bloc’s budget rather than by frozen Russian assets, ending months of debate about the possibility of using those reserves, which could have created a larger loan; still, the amount is expected to cover much of Ukraine’s projected budget gap for the next two years (NYT)
The International Monetary Fund estimates that Ukraine’s military and nonmilitary financial needs for the next two years total around $158 billion (European Commission)
Belgium, which houses the majority of Russia’s frozen reserves in Europe, opposed their use as collateral (FT)
Russia had threatened lawsuits and other retaliation should the assets be used (WaPo)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it “significant support that truly strengthens our resilience” in a social media post (X)
French President Emmanuel Macron called on European countries to engage directly with Russia to end the war rather than have their positions relayed through third parties (Reuters)
Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual year-end press conference today, which lasted over four hours (CNN)
U.S. Defense Bill Continues Support for Ukraine
The bill includes $400 million in assistance for Ukraine for each of the next two fiscal years; it blocks the United States from reducing troop levels in Europe below seventy-six thousand—near the current level—without consultations with NATO, despite a pledge in the Trump administration’s recent National Security Strategy to deprioritize Europe (FT)
It also renews security cooperation with Baltic countries (Latvia MoFA)
Ukraine War Damages Commission
The Netherlands will host an international commission that aims to force Russia to compensate Ukraine for damages from its war; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European officials attended a launch event for the commission in the Hague (Reuters)
It is unclear how the group hopes to compel Russia to pay, though early discussions focus on using Russia’s frozen assets in Europe (BBC)
European Joint Statement on Security Guarantees for Ukraine
U.S. and European leaders committed to working toward a “legally binding commitment” to defend Ukraine in the event of a future attack, European leaders said in a joint statement (European Council)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as unnamed U.S. officials, told reporters that Washington had offered security guarantees akin to those in NATO (NYT)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the current talks represent “the opportunity for a genuine peace process” (Politico)
Merz has invited U.S. officials to attend a separate meeting in Berlin with Ukraine and European leaders later today, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO chief Mark Rutte; European officials are preparing for a meeting later this week where they are expected to make a long-awaited decision on what to do with frozen Russian assets held in Europe (Guardian)
A Kremlin spokesperson said Moscow expects an update from Washington after today’s meeting (Reuters)
Ukraine Offers to Drop NATO Membership Aspiration
Zelenskyy said Kyiv is willing to forego NATO aspirations in exchange for security guarantees from Western allies; Zelenskyy said that Kyiv seeks bilateral security guarantees from the United States that are similar to NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause, as well as from other partners such as European countries, Canada, and Japan (FT)
Those comments came ahead of talks with the United States and Germany in Berlin; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is hosting the talks, while U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is also representing the U.S. side (Politico)
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff wrote on social media that “a lot of progress” had been made (X)
This is the first in-depth U.S.-Ukraine meeting since Kyiv sent Washington its response last week to a U.S.-proposed peace plan (CFR)
EU Indefinitely Freezes Russian Assets
An indefinite extension is a technical step toward implementing a much-debated proposal to use the Russian assets to back a loan to Ukraine; the decision marks the European Union’s latest bid to support Ukraine as the United States urges a resolution to the war by Christmas (Reuters)
Russia’s central bank announced today that it is suing Belgian-based financial group Euroclear in a Moscow arbitration court to halt the European plan to freeze its assets (Interfax)
Euroclear holds the majority of Russia’s frozen sovereign assets in Europe (Guardian)
The Russian central bank vowed to pursue additional lawsuits over the asset freeze, which the EU voted to indefinitely extend rather than maintain the current requirement to renew the freeze every six months (FT)
Ukraine Presents Revised Peace Proposals
The new proposal comes as talks reach a “critical moment,” per a joint statement from the prime ministers of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom following a call with U.S. President Donald Trump (France 24; BBC)
As he prepared for a meeting today with thirty countries supporting Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said key sticking points involve control of Donetsk and the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant; U.S. negotiators proposed options such as demilitarized zones in the Donbas and joint oversight of the nuclear facility, though Kyiv rejected withdrawing from territory without reciprocal Russian pullbacks (AP)
Zelenskyy said that U.S. President Donald Trump was pushing for the holiday deadline, though the White House press secretary said Trump had not decided if Washington would participate in further negotiations over the weekend in Europe (Axios;White House)
The Wall Street Journal also reported that the Trump administration’s Ukraine peace proposals include restoring Russian energy exports to Europe, expanding U.S. investment in Russia, and using $200 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets for reconstruction projects (WSJ)
Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United States are in complete agreement over key principles for the reconstruction framework (Reuters)
Russia Claims Advances in Myrnohrad
Russian General Valery Gerasimov said Moscow has asserted control over more than 30 percent of the town’s buildings (Anadolu Agency)
Ukraine denies Russian claims that nearby Pokrovsk has entirely fallen, though Ukraine’s top commander suggested that some troops have withdrawn from certain positions over the past week (Reuters)
Separately, Zelenskyy told reporters that he was ready for elections, adding they could occur within the next three months if their security was guaranteed (Reuters)
Trump has repeatedly criticized Ukraine’s deferred elections, including in an interview with Politico, in which he accused Zelenskyy of using the war as an excuse for not holding a vote (Axios;Politico)
Meanwhile, German and French officials continued to react to the newly released U.S. National Security Strategy, affirming that it underscores the need for Europe to increase its security independence (AP; AFP)
Zelenskyy Meets European Allies in London
The talks aimed at coordinating positions surrounding the revised U.S. peace proposal, which still faces major hurdles over security guarantees and Washington’s suggestion that Ukraine cede Donbas (AP)
Ukraine and its European allies aim to send an updated peace proposal to Washington tomorrow evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said; he added that no compromise with the United States had yet been reached regarding territorial concessions, saying that under Ukrainian and international law, “we have no right to give anything away” (FT)
Outgoing U.S. Envoy Keith Kellogg claimed that a peace deal is close, even as both Russia and Ukraine suggest major hurdles remain (Reuters)
More Ukraine-U.S. Talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone call with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, following three days of consecutive meetings between U.S. and Ukrainian officials beginning Thursday; Zelenskyy later noted that major gaps remain on security guarantees and the fate of Russian-occupied territory (Reuters)
On the battlefield, Russia launched a large-scale attack across Ukraine, employing over six hundred drones and injuring at least eight civilians (AP)
U.S.-Ukraine Talks
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Ukrainian negotiators for a second day in Florida to review the U.S.-proposed plan for resolving the conflict with Russia, following their earlier consultations with the Kremlin (AP)
A Kremlin spokesperson suggested on Friday that Russia was encouraged by U.S. efforts (Anadolu Agency)
Separately, in Washington, Pentagon officials told European delegations that the United States expects Europe to take over the bulk of NATO’s conventional defense functions by 2027; European diplomats questioned the feasibility of the target, noting that key U.S. intelligence and military capabilities cannot be rapidly replaced (Reuters)
Finally, French authorities suggested they were investigating drone sightings over a nuclear submarine base, as suspected Russian drone incursions continue across Europe (France24)
New U.S. National Security Strategy Deprioritizes Europe
On Europe, the document calls for quickly ending hostilities in Ukraine, reestablishing “strategic stability” with Russia, and “ending the perception, and preventing the reality, of NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance;” it criticizes European officials for “unrealistic expectations” regarding the war in Ukraine, claiming that the “subversion of democratic processes” in Europe is blocking a broad public desire for peace (White House)
The document is a shift from Trump’s first-term national security strategy in 2017, which pledged to work with Europe to “counter Russian subversion and aggression” (White House)
Meanwhile, Turkey’s foreign minister condemned what he said were attacks on ships in Turkey’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, saying they proved the Russia-Ukraine war is expanding; Ukraine has acknowledged attacking some Russia-linked oil ships in the Black Sea, where the cost of shipping insurance has risen (Hurriyet)
Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted Moscow would capture Ukraine’s Donbas region through force if Ukraine does not pull its forces back, as the Kremlin rejects peace concessions (Reuters)
Ukraine’s Top Negotiator Meets With European Officials
NATO foreign ministers are discussing the war in Ukraine at a Brussels gathering that will be followed by a direct meeting with Ukrainian envoys (X)
Multiple European officials today accused Russia of faking interest in peace, as Russian officials say President Putin has accepted some U.S. peace provisions and is prepared to keep negotiating (AP; Reuters)
Meanwhile, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot spoke out against an EU proposal to use Russia’s frozen assets in Europe to back a loan for Ukraine, saying it would introduce legal and financial risks; most of the frozen money is located in Belgium (AP)
In response to Belgian concerns, EU leadership proposed two options for funding a large-scale loan to Ukraine: one would use as much as $245 billion in Belgian and other European-held frozen Russian assets to back the loan to Kyiv, while the other would use funds drawn directly from the EU budget (European Commission)
The options are expected to be discussed further at a December 18-19 meeting (Reuters)
Peace Talks in Moscow
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for over four hours to discuss possible pathways to ending the war in Ukraine, amid disagreement over European and Ukrainian proposals (Reuters)
Senior Putin aide Yuri Ushakov called the meeting “very useful” for staking out positions, though he noted Russia remained “critical and even negative” toward parts of the peace proposal (Kremlin)
He added that the meeting was “the first time such a direct exchange of views has taken place” on U.S. President Donald Trump’s updated peace plan and added that “no compromise has been found yet” on certain disagreements, without specifying which ones (FT)
Washington said it was still working to refine a framework acceptable to all sides, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying the initial U.S. peace proposal “looks better” after revisions (NYT)
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the U.S. push for peace was “important” but called for increased pressure on Russia if it does not succeed (NATO)
To that end, the EU announced a deal today to permanently end the import of Russian liquefied natural gas by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas by the end of September 2027 (European Commission)
Before the talks, Putin accused European governments of undermining U.S.-led ceasefire efforts by advancing demands he called incompatible with Russian interests, and warned that Moscow is prepared for war with the continent (Time)
Putin also threatened to escalate attacks on Ukrainian ports and shipping in response to Kyiv’s drone attacks on Russian vessels in the Black Sea, following a strike earlier today (FT; AP).
European Leaders Rally to Support Ukraine
Kyiv’s European allies are holding a series of consultations this week on peace proposals and their ongoing support for Ukraine; European Union (EU) defense ministers are meeting in Brussels today as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy consults with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris (Al Jazeera)
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of the meeting that “it is clear Russia does not want peace, and therefore we need to make Ukraine as strong as possible” (X)
Meanwhile, U.S. negotiators are due to fly to Moscow today after weekend talks with Ukraine (WSJ)
On the battlefield, a Russian missile strike killed four and wounded more than forty individuals (Reuters)
President Vladimir Putin also asserted that Russian forces had captured the Ukrainian cities of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk, a claim Ukrainian officials refuted as a negotiating tactic rather than a reflection of conditions on the ground (ABC)
Ukrainian Officials Meet With Trump Team in Florida
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov met with Rubio, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner (Kyiv Independent)
Umerov replaced former presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak as Ukraine’s chief negotiator after Yermak’s resignation on Friday amid a corruption probe (AP)
While officials offered few details about the talks, Rubio said that the United States wants to ensure Ukraine never faces another invasion and achieves economic prosperity (NBC)
An unnamed senior U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal that the talks covered security guarantees, land swaps, and possible elections (WSJ)
The flurry of shuttle diplomacy is part of a renewed effort to end the war, with Zelenskyy writing on social media that the coming days are “important” (X)
While both Ukrainian and U.S. officials emphasized their commitment to Ukraine’s security, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that “much work remains” and that Russia will “have to be part of the equation” (State)
Ukraine continues its attacks on Russia’s oil infrastructure, and said over the weekend that it hit two tankers carrying Russian oil (CNN)
Deadly Russian Strikes in Kyiv
Russian missiles and drones killed at least three people, while Ukrainian operations disrupted a key Russian oil terminal near Novorossiysk; the attacks come alongside a push for peace talks, as Ukrainian officials traveled to the United States for renewed negotiations (AP)
Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff Resigns as Corruption Probe Deepens
The resignation came amid an expanding investigation into alleged kickbacks tied to state contracts, marking the highest-level departure in Kyiv since Russia initiated its full-scale invasion; the shake-up threatens to complicate ongoing diplomacy as U.S. and European envoys seek progress toward a negotiated settlement with Moscow (NYT)
Separately, two vessels tied to Russia’s sanctioned fleet were damaged by blasts off Turkey’s Black Sea coast, sparking fires and triggering emergency responses from Turkish authorities (Reuters)
Ukraine later suggested it had struck the vessels with drones, prompting Turkish condemnation (AP)
Putin Suggests Openness to U.S. Peace Proposal
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the peace initiative could serve as a basis for negotiations but warned that fighting would continue unless Ukrainian forces pull back from contested territory; analysts suggested the U.S. proposal was heavily favorable towards Russia (AP)
In Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian troops continued to clash in Pokrovsk; Putin suggested Russia had surrounded the city, though Ukrainian military leaders pushed back on the claim (Reuters)
Moscow Rejects Peace Concessions
A senior Russian official said the Kremlin will not soften its core demands in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine as U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, plans a visit to Moscow for further talks; the official’s statement follows the release of a recording suggesting Witkoff advised Russian officials on how to frame proposals to Washington, stirring backlash among U.S. lawmakers and European allies (NYT)
Reuters reported that the initial U.S. peace framework incorporated material from a paper submitted by Moscow outlining its desired terms for ending the war; U.S. officials later revised the plan after European allies and Ukraine expressed concerns (Reuters)
U.S. Official Says Ukraine Agrees to Peace Deal
A U.S. official claimed only “minor details” remained outstanding, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more work was needed; the White House announced that further talks were required among Russia, Ukraine, and the United States (CNN)
Zelenskyy held bilateral calls with several European leaders ahead of a meeting with Ukraine’s European backers earlier in the day (European Commission)
Russian overnight attacks on Kyiv killed at least seven people, while Ukrainian officials raised the death toll from an earlier strike in the city of Ternopil to thirty-four (AP; NPR)
In Lithuania, Vilnius Airport resumed normal operations after two overnight shutdowns triggered by balloons that drifted into its airspace, as officials accuse Belarus of enabling the disruptive balloon launches (Reuters)
Foreign incursions also occurred in Romania, where NATO aircraft intercepted a drone that traveled more than 100 kilometers inside Romanian territory, its farthest penetration to date (Guardian)
Reactions to New Trump Peace Framework
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that this weekend’s talks with the United States in Geneva had enabled Ukraine “to keep extremely sensitive issues on the table” (President of Ukraine)
Ukraine will continue consulting with European allies in the coming days, according to Zelenskyy’s chief of staff (WSJ)
Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote on social media that while steps were taken yesterday toward a just peace, there were still unresolved issues (X)
A Kremlin spokesperson said that Moscow has not received an official update on the peace plan, which Rubio said would need to be approved by Trump and Zelenskyy before being presented back to Russia (NBC)
Earlier, a Russian foreign policy official suggested that the European counterproposal to the U.S. plan was unacceptable to Moscow (Reuters)
U.S.-Ukraine Joint Statement Announces New Framework for Ending War
Ukraine and the United States said in a joint statement that their peace talks in Geneva had been “highly productive,” and affirmed that peace must ensure “Ukraine’s security, stability, and reconstruction” (White House)
U.S. President Donald Trump has set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to respond to the proposal (The Hill)
The changes came after Kyiv pushed back on elements of a previous U.S. plan (AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was optimistic that an agreement could be reached “very soon,” though he acknowledged negotiations could stretch longer (State)
Senior officials from several of Ukraine’s European allies attended part of the talks (FT)
Widely reported details of the Trump administration’s draft peace plan said that it included major concessions by Kyiv, prompting European allies to create a detailed counterproposal; a version of Europe’s counterproposal published by Reuters included a higher cap on the size of Ukraine’s military and stronger language about funding for Ukraine’s reconstruction (Reuters)
Drone Sightings in the Netherlands
Officials suspended operations at Eindhoven Airport after multiple drones were detected nearby, prompting Dutch defense officials to implement security measures before traffic resumed later in the night; the incident is the latest in a series of unexplained drone incursions across Europe (Reuters)