Konstantinovka, December 2025. Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo / Anadolu / Getty Images.
- Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, reported that President Putin's residence in Valdai was attacked by Ukrainian drones and promised retaliatory measures from Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied these accusations, calling them "another lie from Russia."
- According to Russian military sources, 91 unmanned aerial vehicles participated in the attack on the residence. The Governor of the Novgorod region and the Ministry of Defense reported the downing of 18 and 23 drones, respectively. The remaining 50 drones were intercepted in neighboring regions: one over Smolensk and 49 over Bryansk.
- Chief of the General Staff of Russia Valery Gerasimov stated that the Russian army took control of 32 settlements in December, and 334 throughout the year.
- As a result of drone attacks on December 29 in the Belgorod region, five civilians were injured.
- After talks in Florida, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he had requested long-term security guarantees for Ukraine from the United States for a period of 30-50 years. Donald Trump, according to him, agreed to consider this issue.
- The President of Ukraine also emphasized that the peace plan consisting of 20 points, agreed upon with Washington, should be put to a referendum.
- During the negotiations, the parties noted the presence of unresolved issues, including territorial disputes.
- Donald Trump had a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin following the meetings with the Ukrainian leader in Florida. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt described the conversation as "positive." The Kremlin, in turn, reported that issues related to the attack on Putin's residence were also discussed, which could affect Russia's position in peace negotiations.
- In Germany, it is believed that the deployment of "multinational forces" to Ukraine is only possible after a peace agreement is signed between Kyiv and Moscow.
- Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire, refused to allocate funds from the sale of the Chelsea football club for humanitarian needs in Ukraine until the Jersey government halts its investigation and withdraws the lawsuit against him.
- According to Irina Mudra, Deputy Head of Volodymyr Zelensky's office, Kyiv expects to receive the first tranche of a €90 billion loan from the European Union in the spring of 2026.
- Polish border guards discovered five packages containing more than 7,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes, which were delivered from Belarus using weather balloons during the Christmas holidays.
- Latvia has completed the construction of a barrier on its border with Russia, stretching 280 kilometers.
