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Zelensky has said that he is open to creating a demilitarised zone in Ukraine’s east as a proposed peace deal edges forward
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Volodymyr Zelensky has appeared to wish for the death of Vladimir Putin in a Christmas message after Russia continued to bombard Ukraine with missiles and drones.
In a video posted to X on Christmas Eve, Mr Zelensky said that “despite all the suffering that Russia has brought, it is not capable of occupying or bombing what matters most. That is our Ukrainian heart, our faith in one another, and our unity”.
Appearing to refer to Russian president Vladimir Putin, Mr Zelensky added: “Today, we all share one dream.
“And we make one wish – for all of us. ‘May he perish’, each of us may think to ourselves. But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater, we ask for peace for Ukraine. We fight for it, we pray for it, we deserve it.”
His comments come after Russia hit regions across Ukraine with missiles and drones on Tuesday, killing at least three people, and triggering emergency power outages.
Further attacks on Christmas night saw at least two people killed in drone strikes on Odesa and Kharkiv.
open image in galleryVolodymyr Zelensky delivers his Christmas message (ZelenskyyUa)Ukraine’s leader said in his address: “On the eve of Christmas, the Russians once again showed who they truly are.
“Massive shelling, hundreds of ‘shaheds’, ballistic missiles, Kinzhal strikes – everything was used. This is how the godless strike.
“For all our fallen heroes who defended Ukraine at the cost of their lives. For everyone whom Russia has driven into occupation and forced to flee.
“For those for whom it is hard, but who have not lost Ukraine within themselves – and therefore Ukraine will never lose them. Today we stand shoulder to shoulder. We will not lose our way in the darkness.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Mr Putin had wished US president Donald Trump a merry Christmas and sent him a congratulatory message.
American negotiators have engaged in a series of talks with Ukraine and Russia separately since Mr Trump presented a plan to end the war last month – a proposal widely seen as favouring Moscow, which invaded its neighbour nearly four years ago.
Since then, Ukraine and its allies in Europe have worked to pull the plan closer to Kyiv's position.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that there has been “slow but steady progress” in the peace talks.
open image in galleryWorkers clear debris from the roof of a heavily damaged residential building following a drone strike in Kyiv on Tuesday (AFP via Getty Images)Mr Zelensky has said that he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end the war. Ukraine’s president explained that he would be open to this if Moscow also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarised zone monitored by international forces.
The US has proposed the creation of a “free economic zone”, which Mr Zelensky said should be demilitarised.
A similar arrangement could be possible for the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control. But any peace plan would need to be put to a referendum, the president has insisted.
Meanwhile, Russian air defence units downed 25 Moscow-bound Ukrainian drones throughout the day on Wednesday, according to Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
open image in galleryChildren wearing traditional clothes and carrying Ukrainian traditional 'Didukh' decorations take part in a Christmas Eve procession in Lviv (AFP via Getty Images)Ukraine’s military said its drones overnight had struck the Yefremov synthetic rubber plant in Russia's Tula region south of Moscow and a storage facility for marine drones in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Tula regional governor Dmitry Milyaev said debris from a downed Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at an industrial site.
The Ukrainian military also said that an oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region had been hit with Storm Shadow missiles, causing multiple explosions.
Polish jets also intercepted a Russian reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea, which was flying close to its airspace, the Polish military said on Thursday.
The Polish army said that objects, believed to be smuggling balloons, were observed last night entering Polish airspace from the direction of Belarus.
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