Konstantinovka, December 2025. Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo / Anadolu / Getty Images.
- Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, reported that drones from Ukraine attacked Putin's residence in Valdai. In response, he threatened severe measures. Volodymyr Zelensky characterized Lavrov's statements as "another lie from Russia."
- Russian military officials claim that 91 unmanned aerial vehicles participated in the attack on Putin's residence. According to the governor of the Novgorod region and the Ministry of Defense, 18 and 23 drones were shot down over the region. The remaining 50 drones were destroyed in neighboring regions: one over Smolensk region and 49 over Bryansk.
- In December, the Russian army captured 32 settlements, and throughout the year, 334 came under its control, according to Valery Gerasimov, the head of the General Staff.
- As a result of drone attacks on December 29 in Belgorod region, five civilians were injured.
- After talks in Florida, Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he requested long-term security guarantees for Ukraine from the United States for a period of 30 to 50 years. Trump promised to consider this issue.
- The President of Ukraine emphasized that the peace plan consisting of 20 points, agreed upon with Washington, should be put to a referendum.
- The parties involved in the negotiations acknowledged the presence of unresolved issues, one of which remains territorial disputes.
- Donald Trump had a conversation with Vladimir Putin following his talks with the Ukrainian leader. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt described the conversation as "positive." The Kremlin added that possible attacks on Putin's residence were discussed and that Russia may reconsider its positions in peace negotiations.
- According to the German government, the main condition for deploying "multinational forces" in Ukraine is the signing of a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.
- Russian businessman Roman Abramovich refused to transfer funds from the sale of the Chelsea football club for humanitarian needs in Ukraine until the British government on the island of Jersey halts its investigation against him.
- Kyiv expects the first tranche of a €90 billion loan from the European Union in the spring of 2026, reported Irina Mudraya, Deputy Head of Volodymyr Zelensky's office.
- During the Christmas holidays, Polish border guards discovered five packages containing more than 7,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes that were brought into the country using weather balloons from Belarus.
- Latvia has completed the construction of a barrier on its border with Russia, which spans 280 kilometers.
