Overview
- Kyiv says negotiations have narrowed to a U.S.-backed framework, with remaining disputes centered on territorial arrangements and enforceable security guarantees.
- AFP reports the draft under discussion would have Ukraine forgo NATO membership and cede parts of Donbas, while Zelenskyy says a clause recognizing Russian‑held land has been removed.
- U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said efforts are back on track and focused on stronger security guarantees and deconfliction mechanisms.
- Russia’s New Year assault used roughly 205 drones, killing at least two, and Ukraine reports fresh evacuations from Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk as strikes hit Kharkiv.
- Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations over a deadly strike on a Kherson hotel, with Russia calling it a terrorist attack and Ukraine saying it hit a military gathering; AFP could not verify either claim.