Ukraine

Amid ongoing and intensifying Russian attacks across Ukraine, the UN on Tuesday launched a $2.3 billion humanitarian appeal for 2026 to support 4.1 million of the country’s most vulnerable people. … According to media reports and official information from the Ukrainian authorities, over the past week alone, Russian forces launched nearly 1,100 attack drones against Ukraine, more than 890 guided aerial bombs and at least 50 missiles of various types

Last year was the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, as casualties soared amid flaring hostilities along the front line and Russia’s expanded use of long-range weapons, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said. In a report published on Monday, the UN monitor said that “the total civilian casualties in Ukraine in 2025 reached at least 2,514 killed and 12,142 injured, which is a 31 percent increase compared to 2024 … and a 70 percent increase compared to 2023”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the “robust” guarantees would see the US lead a truce monitoring mechanism with European participation, alongside the deployment of a multinational European force. … Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a declaration of intent after the talks, setting out the framework for such a deployment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said he intended to replace his defence minister and had offered the position to his current minister of digital transformation. … Besides the turnover at the defence ministry, Zelenskyy also named Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov to head his presidential office.

Volodymyr Zelensky is urging European Union leaders gathered at a crunch summit in Brussels to loan billions of euros in frozen Russian money to fund Ukraine's military and economic needs.

[…] Today’s decision -which brings the total of designated vessels to almost 600- is closely linked to recent Council decisions to list nine shadow fleet enablers and adopt a declaration by the EU and its member states on making full use of the international law of the sea framework relating to threats from the 'shadow fleet' and to the protection of critical undersea infrastructure.

European leaders said they had agreed on Monday any decisions on potential Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia could only be made once robust security guarantees were in place which should include a European-led multinational force.

German Chancellor Merz said on Thursday that proposals on territorial concessions had been sent to US President Donald Trump, who had earlier expressed frustration with European allies and questioned the United States’ ongoing involvement in future talks. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he held a "substantive discussion" with members of Ukraine's parliament on the possibility of holding elections, amid pressure from the United States to hold a vote despite wartime legal restrictions. Addressing Ukrainians in a nightly video on December 10, Zelenskyy said strong security guarantees from Kyiv's allies -- especially Washington -- are needed to hold a vote.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet the head of Ukraine's national security council, Rustem Umerov, for talks in Miami on Thursday, the White House has confirmed.