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Steve Witkoff has hailed latest talks in Florida as 'productive and constructive' without announcing any major breakthroughs
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Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy official has rejected the latest amendments to a Donald Trump-backed peace plan – despite admitting that he hasn't actually read them.
Yuri Ushakov, who played a key role in drafting the original version of the plan that was widely dismissed as being too pro-Russia, also played down the prospect of a three-way summit between the US, Moscow and Kyiv
“I am sure that the proposals that the Europeans and Ukrainians have made or are trying to make definitely do not improve the document and do not improve the possibility of achieving long-term peace,” Yuri Ushakov said.
The senior Kremlin official said he had not seen the exact proposals and that his criticism was “not a forecast”.
His remarks came after Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said he held "productive and constructive" talks in Florida over the weekend with Ukrainian and European negotiators.
"Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine's recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity.
“Ukraine remains fully committed to achieving a just and sustainable peace,” Trump’s envoy added.
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Key Points
- Kremlin dismissed new peace plan proposals - without actually seeing them
- Ukrainian forces battle Russian breakthrough in Sumy
- Ukrainian drone attack damages two vessels in Russia's Krasnodar
- Russian general killed in car bomb in Moscow, investigators say
- ‘I was a British PoW tortured by Russia; this is how Ukraine and the West can win this war’
- What are the main sticking points in negotiations?
Starlink satellites could be targeted by new Russian weapon, Nato suspects
Russia is reportedly developing a new anti-satellite weapon specifically designed to target Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation, according to intelligence findings from two Nato nations.
Starlink has played a crucial role in aiding Ukraine on the battlefield. Here’s how:
Russia developing weapon to hit Musk’s Starlink satellites, Nato suspects
Western intelligence believes Russia is developing a new ‘zone-effect’ weapon to specifically hit Musk’s satellitesJames Reynolds22 December 2025 19:00How Ukraine is escalating its pushback against Russia
Ukrainian forces have ramped up their campaign to disrupt the Russian war effort as negotiators push for leverage in peace talks:
Monday: Kyiv claimed to have hit an oil terminal, a pipeline, two parked jet fighters and two ships in Krasnodar in a series of strikes on Russian soil.
A Russian launch site for attack drones was also hit.
Ukraine was also accused of involvement in the death of a Russian general in Moscow, but is yet to comment.
Saturday: Ukraine claimed attacks on a Russian oil rig, the military patrol ship Okhotnik and other facilities.
Ukrainian drones also struck a radar system in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea.
Friday: Ukraine claimed drone strikes on a ‘shadow fleet’ tanker in neutral waters off the coast of Libya.
James Reynolds22 December 2025 18:00Lithuania joins in condemning alleged abductions from Ukraine
Lithuania today joined in condemning the alleged abductions of civilians from a Ukrainian border village.
Ukraine yesterday alleged that Russian forces had taken more than 50 civilians, many of them elderly, from Hrabovske village as Ukrainian troops withdrew.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys on Monday called the alleged kidnappings ‘cynical’.
“This targeting of mostly elderly residents once again exposes Russia’s utter cynicism and shows that it has no limits,” he said.
“This is a war crime - and Russia will not escape responsibility for this and all the other crimes it has committed against Ukraine.”
James Reynolds22 December 2025 17:00Italian prosecutors move to drop probe into suspected Russian drone flyovers
Italian prosecutors investigating suspected Russian drone flights over an EU space research centre have concluded their suspicions were unfounded and have requested the case be dropped, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Milan prosecutors found that 21 alleged overflights between March and May 2025 were actually caused by interference from a private GSM phone signal booster near the European Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, near Italy's Lake Maggiore.
James Reynolds22 December 2025 16:43Who was the Russian general killed in an explosion in Moscow today?
A senior Russian official was killed when a car blew up in Moscow on Monday.
Investigators have identified the victim as Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov.
He was a 56-year-old veteran of Russia’s 21st-century military campaigns, having served in Chechnya, Syria and most recently Ukraine.
In Ukraine he was responsible for the military’s combat training and readiness. Vladimir Putin was reportedly told immediately of the death of such a senior official.
Tass reports that Sarvarov was decorated with the Order of Courage, the Medal of Suvorov, the Order of Merit for Services to the Fatherland (I and II Class), and the Order of Military Merit.
Read the full story:
Russian general killed by bomb planted under his car in Moscow
Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov died from his injuries after an explosive device detonated under his vehicleJames Reynolds22 December 2025 16:31More on major Ukrainian air attack on Russia
We can bring you more now on the large Ukrainian air attack overnight, which officials said on Monday targeted an oil terminal, a pipeline, two parked jet fighters and two ships.
The attacks are part of an ongoing campaign to disrupt the Russian war effort and sow fear behind the front line, where outnumbered Ukrainian troops are straining to hold back Russia’s bigger army after almost four years of war.
The strikes also seek to undermine president Vladimir Putin’s attempt to portray Russia as negotiating from a position of military strength in US-led peace efforts, which have yet to make a breakthrough on key points.
The killing of a top Russian general by a car bomb in Moscow on Monday, with investigators suspecting Ukraine was behind it, could be another instance of Kyiv picking surprise targets.
Ukrainian forces struck the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal, an ammunition depot and a launch site for attack drones inside Russian territory and Russian-held Ukrainian territory, Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement Monday.
A pipeline, two docks and two ships were damaged in the southern Krasnodar region, and a large blaze broke out, the statement said, without specifying what kind of weapons were used in the attack.
It added that a Ukrainian-made missile also hit a temporary base for Russia's 92nd River Boat Brigade in Olenivka, in the occupied Crimean Peninsula.
A separate strike targeted an ammunition depot in a Russian-controlled portion of the Donetsk region, aiming to slow the Russian advance there, the General Staff said. A Russian launch site for attack drones was also hit.
Alex Croft22 December 2025 15:59Czech security council to decide on ammunition scheme for Ukraine in January
The Czech Republic's security council will debate the future of a Czech-led, Western-financed scheme organising artillery ammunition supplies for Ukraine on January 7, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Monday.
The scheme brings together foreign donors including Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands with Czech defence officials and arms traders and producers who purchase ammunition around the world and deliver it to Ukraine to reduce its disadvantage on the battlefield against Russia.
Babis, who took power last week and has vowed to cut Czech financial aid to Ukraine, has criticised what he calls the scheme's lack of transparency. But he has not taken a clear stance on its future since his populist ANO party won an election in October.
Czech President Petr Pavel, Prague's NATO allies and Ukraine have all praised the scheme, while Babis' pro-Russian coalition allies oppose it.
"In principle, the ammunition initiative has certainly been a good thing, the question is whether it has occurred without corruption," Babis told a news conference after a government meeting on Monday.
Alex Croft22 December 2025 15:33Ukraine strikes oil terminal in Russia's Krasnodar region
Ukraine's military hit a Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in Russia's Krasnodar region in an overnight attack, causing explosions and a fire, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Monday.
It said in a statement on the Telegram app that the oil terminal was part of Russia's energy infrastructure that supported financing and logistics of Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.
Alex Croft22 December 2025 15:09French presidency welcomes Kremlin's willingness to hold talks
The French presidency has welcomed Russia’s willingness to hold talks with Emmanuel Macron.
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s willingness to speak with Macron is “welcome”, the Elysee Palace said, adding that Paris will decide on the details “in the coming days”, reported French broadcaster BFMTV.
The remarks came shortly after Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday said Putin is ready to engage in dialogue with Macron.
On Friday, Macron had said it would “become useful again” for him and the Europeans to speak with Putin.
"I think that we, Europeans and Ukrainians, have an interest in finding a framework to re-engage in these discussions properly. Otherwise, we end up talking among ourselves, with negotiators who go off on their own to talk with the Russians, which is not optimal," Macron said.
Belgium Europe Summit (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)Alex Croft22 December 2025 14:43Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites could be targeted by new Russian weapon, Nato suspects
Russia is reportedly developing a new anti-satellite weapon specifically designed to target Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation, according to intelligence findings from two Nato nations.
These reports, seen by The Associated Press, indicate the so-called "zone-effect" weapon aims to flood Starlink orbits with hundreds of thousands of high-density pellets.
Such a weapon could potentially disable multiple satellites at once, but also carries the risk of catastrophic collateral damage to other orbiting systems. The alleged objective behind this development is to curb Western space superiority, which has played a crucial role in aiding Ukraine on the battlefield.
Read more here:
Russia developing weapon to hit Musk’s Starlink satellites, Nato suspects
Western intelligence believes Russia is developing a new ‘zone-effect’ weapon to specifically hit Musk’s satellitesAlex Croft22 December 2025 14:15Newer1 / 7OlderMore about
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