🇺🇸🇺🇦 Trump: When Zelensky was close, Putin was not. When Putin was close, Zelensky was not, you saw that in the White House. But I think both want to see it happen. Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed. It sounds a little strange. Putin was very generous in his feeling toward Ukraine succeeding.

🇺🇦💔 We in @theukrainianreview.bsky.social team are tracking crimes against Ukrainian soldiers and this is another example that calling those who fight on the side of a terrorist country military personnel — is not correct. They are criminals. Please follow #NoPeaceWithoutJustice and our articles!

🇺🇸🇺🇦❗️At the beginning of the negotiations, Zelensky told Trump that it was his first time at Mar-a-Lago, and the US president replied that the premises were “well suited for making deals,” — Sky News

🤬 Russians shot three soldiers of AFU south of Hulyaipole… 📆 December 20. The soldiers were supposed to take positions that had previously been arbitrarily abandoned by another unit, but the enemy was already waiting for them there. #NoPeaceWithoutJustice

🇺🇦🇺🇸🕊️ I’ve heard from many that today could mark the start of a real process toward ending the war. Optimism is tempting. But signals matter. 🪖 When Putin increasingly appears in military uniform, it’s rarely a sign of peace — and it’s likely that active fighting will not stop in the near term.

🇺🇸 According to Newsweek, the US Congress plans to ban the renaming of any federal building, land or other asset in honor of Trump. The reason for initiating the bill was the controversial decision to add Trump's name to the John F. Kennedy Center, which came into effect on December 19.

🤔🇹🇷☢️ Turkey's energy minister said Russia had provided new financing worth $9 billion for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant being built by Moscow's state nuclear energy company Rosatom, adding Ankara expected the power plant to be operational in 2026.

🇯🇵🇺🇦 Japan to accelerate financial assistance to Ukraine in 2026 Japan has decided to provide Ukraine with additional financial support of almost $6 billion in 2026. Japan continues to invest in the security of Ukrainian territories. Read more ⤵️ theukrainianreview.info/japan-to-acc...

🇺🇸🇪🇺 The US remains a reliable partner of NATO, I exclude the possibility of a military gap between Europe and Washington, — NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He emphasized that Europe must increase defense spending and take greater responsibility for its own security, but do so together with USA.

🇺🇦🇺🇸 The meeting with Trump in Florida will be public — with cameras and media, — Zelensky The details of the format are still being specified, but the negotiations will definitely not take place "behind closed doors," the president said.

🇺🇲🇺🇦 Trump says there's a "good chance" of a peace deal on Ukraine He expressed cautious optimism about a final peace deal during a visit to his club by Zelensky. He said there was a chance of reaching an agreement, although negotiations remain difficult due to differences between the parties.

🇺🇸 Trump’s approval rating among low-income Americans has fallen to a record low, - Newsweek According to a recent YouGov/Economist poll, only 31% of those earning $50,000 or less approve of Donald Trump’s performance as president, compared to 65% who disapprove and 4% who are skeptical.

🇦🇿✈️ Russia has closed the case into the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft, sparking anger in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister said the decision “raises serious questions,” especially given that Russia had earlier acknowledged responsibility and promised compensation.

📊 Russia is seeing a sharp slowdown in wage growth despite facing the most severe labor shortage on record, — FT In November, salaries for newly hired workers increased by just 6.9% year-on-year—barely above inflation at 6.6%. Earlier this year, the same indicator was close to 19%.

‼️👀 Russia agrees to a ceasefire pending a peace agreement, allowing Ukraine to hold a referendum on the territories, - Axios. A senior US official confirmed that the US is prepared to send the security guarantees document, based on Article 5 of the NATO Charter, to the Senate for ratification.

🇨🇳🇺🇸🇹🇼 China imposes sanctions on US defense companies over arms sales to Taiwan, — Reuters. Chinese Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against 10 individuals and 20 US defense companies, including Boeing's St. Louis unit, in response to arms sales to Taiwan.

🇺🇦🇺🇸 Zelensky may visit Trump's Florida residence on December 28, "if everything goes according to plan," — Kyiv Post The level of specificity is now higher. At the same time, the most difficult issues — security guarantees, control mechanisms and Russian obligations — remain unresolved.

🇮🇳🇨🇳 India has accelerated the construction of roads, tunnels, and airstrips in the Himalayas as part of preparations for a potential future confrontation with China, — WSJ For decades, China invested heavily in military infrastructure along its borders, giving its forces a clear mobility advantage.

Odesa today 💙💛

😳💻 The United States is interested in mining at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after the "conflict" in Ukraine is resolved. Putin announced this at a meeting with business representatives, Kommersant reports.

🇺🇸‼️ Conversations Between Putin and Bush: “Artificial” Ukraine and NATO “Threats” Putin is a product of long-standing Russian imperial thinking. He openly views the collapse of USSR as the greatest mistake in the history of Russian state. Read more 👀 theukrainianreview.info/conversation...

🇺🇦 Ukraine’s hope may not lie on the battlefield, but on the economic and political fronts, — The Guardian. One of Kyiv’s hopes is to destabilize Russia over the next two years, although there is little sign of resistance at home. IMF projects growth to be 0.6% by 2025.

🇺🇸👀 Democrats have urged Donald Trump to reverse the mass recall of U.S. ambassadors, warning that the move is creating a dangerous diplomatic vacuum that benefits Russia and China. The Trump administration has ordered nearly 30 career diplomats to return to Washington.

🇪🇺🇺🇦 Europe will never match the sacrifice of the Ukrainian people, but will continue to support their struggle, — Von der Leyen This is how she commented on the allocation of €90 billion. 💬 We will support their fight for survival as long as necessary. Because security of Ukraine is our security.

🙏🇺🇦 An ecological disaster has occurred in the Odesa region. As a result of the Russian attack on the port of "Pivdenny", an oil spill occurred. Dozens of dead birds, mostly small terns, were found on the shore.

💲US dollar is preparing for its worst year since 2017, — Reuters The currency is at risk of a record annual decline in the last eight years. Investors expect two more Fed rate cuts in 2026, which is putting pressure on the US currency.

‼️❌ Russia plans to seek changes to a 20-point US-Ukraine peace plan, viewing it only as a starting point for negotiations, - Bloomberg Moscow wants stricter limits on AFU, guarantees against NATO expansion, clarity on sanctions relief and frozen assets, and "protections" for the Russian language.

👀⚔️ Dozens of executives and employees of Russian defense companies have been prosecuted for failing to fulfill state defense contracts, - Reuters. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, at least 34 people have been charged with criminal offenses related to unfulfilled defense contracts.

🇺🇸🥔 The US has agreed with Lukashenko to release more than 250 political prisoners, partly thanks to… weight-loss drugs, — WSJ. During dinner with plenty of vodka, Trump envoy Cole was discussing the lifting of sanctions with the Belarusian dictator when Lukashenko asked about his weight loss.

❗️🇺🇦 As Zelensky emphasized, if the issue of territories cannot be agreed upon during negotiations, the entire peace plan may be put to referendum. In particular, if it is still about a potential free economic zone in Donbas, this will need to be decided at a referendum.

☠️ More than 400,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in Ukraine between 2024 and 2025, according to British Ministry of Defence's intelligence services, - Le Monde Moscow is focusing its recruitment efforts on poor regions, often populated predominantly by ethnic minorities.

🇺🇸🇻🇪 Mike Waltz: The US does not recognize Maduro or his cronies as the legitimate government of Venezuela. Maduro and his regime stole the election. President Trump has been very clear that he is going to use the full power of the US to take on and eradicate these drug cartels.

🇩🇪Far-right German politician Ringo Mühlmann has taken a noteworthy interest in exposing information his political opponents say could be of great interest to Russian intelligence, - POLITICO Mühlmann has repeatedly asked to disclose details on drone defenses and Western arms transports to Ukraine.

🛢 Bloomberg: 20+ tankers loaded with Russian oil are waiting for permission to unload off the coasts of China and India, some shipments taking months to arrive. Despite record export volumes of about 3.9 million barrels per day, Russia is struggling to physically unload its oil due to sanctions.

🇪🇺🇺🇦 Many people say Ukraine should join the EU.But these are often just general statements. ❓What really awaits Ukraine and the EU if membership happens? I tried to look at this honestly in my article. I’d be glad to hear your thoughts. Read here ⬇️ theukrainianreview.info/ukraines-eur...

🇺🇦‼️ On December 22, the international rating agency Fitch upgraded Ukraine's long-term credit rating from Restricted Default to the pre-default level. 📈 Fitch upgraded Ukraine's credit rating to a higher level because Ukraine has normalized relations with commercial creditors.

🇺🇲🇺🇦 Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia continue and are going "OK", - Trump "Between Putin and Zelensky, there is a huge hatred, and I hope we can do it. We are talking, the negotiations are going well, but you know I have ended eight wars."

‼️ This is what the roof of a five-story building in the Svyatoshynskyi district of Kyiv looks like in the photo, where a Russian drone crashed 🇺🇦 Rescuers are working to eliminate the consequences of the attack, sorting out the debris.

🇺🇸🇺🇦 Blinken on whether Trump's strategy can bring lasting peace: "Putin wants all of Ukraine, one way or another. He wants to neutralize it as an independent state. He still believes he can get what he wants through force, and he is willing to make enormous sacrifices to hold out until the end."

🇺🇸🇺🇦 Trump could lift Biden's ban on Ukrainian strikes on Russian shadow fleet, — NYT Ukraine believes that if it manages to disrupt this business through attacks on the shadow fleet, as well as on oil refineries, it will reduce Putin's profits and force him to negotiate.

🤡 Lukashenko estimated how many "Oreshniks" Belarus could receive from Russia. "A dozen would be the maximum"

🇺🇦🤔 It is interesting to know, what do you think, is the Ukrainian negotiating team in the negotiations professional? ❓Do you know these people and what conclusions can you draw about the negotiations now?

🇺🇦🇺🇸 The basic package of documents on the peace plan is ready, — Zelensky "There are 20 points of the plan — maybe not everything is perfect there, but the plan exists… Today, these developments on security guarantees look quite decent."

🇺🇸👀 House Speaker Mike Johnson: "Everything is at stake in the 2026 midterm elections. If we lose the House majority, the radical left, as you've already heard, is going to impeach President Trump, and they will create complete chaos. We cannot allow that to happen."

🙏🇺🇦 A major fire broke out at the Pivdenny port in the Odesa region after overnight strikes. Containers containing flour and vegetable oil are burning.

🇺🇸🇺🇦 Vance said that he received an update from American negotiators, but “I wouldn’t say with any certainty that we will reach a peaceful resolution.” Russia genuinely wants to establish territorial control over Donetsk region, while Ukrainian side views this “as a serious security issue.”

🇮🇹🇫🇷 Meloni and Macron played a key role in the EU's rejection of the plan for Russian assets, — FT and Politico. It was after Meloni's criticism and Macron's intervention that EU leaders abandoned the "reparations loan" and chose an alternative mechanism for helping Ukraine.

🇫🇷 France will soon start construction on a new aircraft carrier, Macron said, despite uncertainties over the nation’s budget, - Bloomberg The project “will directly boost our economy and its 800 suppliers, 80% of which are small and medium companies,” Macron added.

🇺🇸 Graham: I don't think Trump underestimates [Putin's intention to continue the war], I think we overestimate—the people negotiating, they are good friends—Putin's desire to end the war. Putin will continue to seize Donbas by force until we increase pressure. He's rejecting all our efforts.

🇺🇸👀 Senator Lindsey Graham is calling on Trump to seize ships carrying Russian oil, just as the US is doing with Venezuela if Putin refuses to negotiate over Ukraine. "If Putin says 'no' this time: sign my bill, 85 co-sponsors, and impose tariffs on countries like China that buy cheap Russian oil…