The situation at a glance
New summit on Ukraine planned shortly after the start of the year
Updated 12/31/2025 – 8:18 a.mReading time: 4 minutes
The pace of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine is picking up. After Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyj, the meeting is scheduled to take place again next week. Meanwhile, the fighting continues.
According to information from Kiev, the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine started by Russia are entering the next round with a summit at the beginning of January. A meeting of national security advisors from the “Coalition of the Willing” is initially planned for January 3rd in Ukraine, wrote the country’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyj, on Telegram. Shortly afterwards, on January 6th, another meeting at the level of the heads of state is planned.
“We are grateful to President Trump’s team for their willingness to take part in both formats,” he added, referring to US President Donald Trump. Western countries that also support Ukraine militarily see themselves as a “coalition of the willing”.
Meanwhile, according to Ukrainian information, the Russian army again attacked the Odessa region on the Black Sea with numerous drones on Wednesday night. Two multi-story residential buildings and infrastructure were hit and damaged in the port city of Odessa, and six people, including three children aged 7 months, 8 and 14 years, were injured, the head of the military administration of the city of Odessa, Serhiy Lyssak, wrote on Telegram, according to Ukrainian media. Several apartments caught fire.
In some parts of Odessa, electricity, water and heat supplies were out, Lyssak said. The regional military administrator Oleh Kiper also reported on Telegram that the Odessa region was being massively attacked with drones. The aim is once again to provide civil energy and electricity. The Russian army has been bombarding Odessa and the surrounding area with missiles and drones for weeks, targeting energy plants, industry and the ports.
Meanwhile, according to media reports, Ukraine attacked oil facilities in Russia. In the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, a fire broke out at the oil refinery in the port of Tuapse on the Black Sea, the region’s operational staff said. The fire had been extinguished. Two people were injured in the drone attack. There was also damage to one of the port’s piers and to five houses as well as to a gas pipe, the statement said.
The Ukrainian armed forces have been attacking Russia’s oil industry, which is important for financing the war, for months. However, the damage is incomparable to the extent of the destruction and the number of victims caused by Russian attacks in Ukraine.
Just this weekend, Trump welcomed Zelenskyj in Florida for talks about ending the war. Although both sides subsequently expressed optimism about the progress of the negotiations, no concrete progress was announced.
Zelensky initially spoke of the fact that there was now agreement on US security guarantees for his country after the end of the war. But he later admitted that the duration of these guarantees was still being negotiated. The USA proposed 15 years, Ukraine asked for up to 50 years.
