Overview
- Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow is ready to formalize a reciprocal non‑aggression pact with NATO in a legally binding international document and described negotiation progress as slow but steady.
- Volodymyr Zelensky held a call with U.S. intermediaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner after releasing details of a revised plan that he says contains new ideas to move toward a durable peace.
- The draft under discussion has been pared to roughly 20 points, with Kyiv seeking to freeze current front lines and major questions still open on territorial status and the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned Zelensky’s Christmas remark wishing for Vladimir Putin’s death and questioned his fitness to make political decisions; Peskov also confirmed Putin sent a Christmas telegram to President Trump.
- Ukrainian authorities reported two civilians killed in separate Russian attacks in Chernihiv and Kherson, while Russia’s defense ministry said its air defenses downed 48 Ukrainian drones over several regions within five hours.