Summary: Zelensky prepared the withdrawal of Donbas troops within the framework of the 20-point plan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be ready to withdraw troops from the country's eastern industrial zone if Russia also withdraws and the area becomes a demilitarized, free economic zone overseen by international forces.
The proposal, which would remove one of the biggest obstacles to ending Russia's war, must also be put to a referendum.
A similar regulation is possible for the area under Russian control around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, said President Zelensky.
He described a 20-point broad plan that negotiators from Ukraine and the United States had drawn up in Florida in recent days, although he said many details were still being worked out.
Jane DaltonDecember 24, 2025 6:30 p.m
A Ukrainian official claims the military was behind the explosion in Moscow
An official from Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency told the Associated Press that the attack, which killed two Moscow police officers, was carried out as part of an intelligence operation.
Another agency official said the officers took part in Russia's war in Ukraine, without giving details.
(AFP/Getty)
Jane DaltonDecember 24, 2025 5:40 p.m
Russia wants to build a nuclear power plant on the moon in the next few years
This ambitious project aims to provide power for its lunar space program and a joint research station with China as world powers step up their lunar exploration efforts.
Historically, Russia has occupied a prominent position in space, particularly since Yuri Gagarin's pioneering journey in 1961.
Maryam Zakir HussainDecember 24, 2025 5:15 p.m
What is the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant?
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was a critical issue in US-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
Here you will find everything you need to know about the power plant:
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located on the banks of the Kakhovka water reservoir in southeastern Ukraine.
Construction of the site began in 1979 and the first reactor was commissioned in 1984.
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 led to a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants in Ukraine and construction work on reactor number 6 was interrupted. However, increasing demand for electricity led to the ban being later relaxed.
By 1995, all six Soviet-designed pressurized water reactor (PWR) units were in operation – with a total output of almost 6,000 MW.
Zaporizhzhia is capable of supplying a fifth of Ukraine's electricity and almost 47 percent of the electricity generated by Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
It was operated by NNEGC Energoatom, Ukraine's national nuclear energy company. However, it is unclear what will happen after Russian troops occupy the site.
The city has around 750,000 inhabitants and is the sixth largest city in Ukraine.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Maryam Zakir HussainDecember 24, 2025 4:45 p.m
Russian troops capture Zarichne in eastern Ukraine
Russian forces have captured Zarichne in eastern Ukraine, according to the country's Defense Ministry.
The village is located in Donetsk Oblast, near the border with Luhansk.
We will share more details with you as we learn them.
Maryam Zakir HussainDecember 24, 2025 4:15 p.m
Ukraine presents a 20-point peace proposal that is currently being discussed with the United States
However, Volodymyr Zelensky said that sensitive issues surrounding territorial control in the country's eastern industrial heartland as well as the management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) remained unresolved.
Maryam Zakir HussainDecember 24, 2025 3:45 p.m
Russia's FSB says it has foiled a “terrorist attack” on a pipeline facility in Russia's Tyumen region, Ifx reports
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday it had “foiled a terrorist attack” on Transneft's oil facility in Russia's Tyumen region, Interfax reported.
“When arrested, the suspect resisted and was neutralized by return fire,” the agency said, citing the FSB.
Maryam Zakir HussainDecember 24, 2025 3:25 p.m
Ukraine is showing fighting spirit and its allies must respond
In case you missed this weekend's editorial, you can find The Independent View here:
Maryam Zakir HussainDecember 24, 2025 3:10 p.m
Ukraine is using its powerful – and cheap – new drone killers for air defense
The icy ground crackled beneath their feet, members of an elite Ukrainian drone hunting team preparing for a long night.
Antennas and sensors are attached to a light stand. Monitors and controls are removed from hard-shell cases and a groundbreaking new weapon is prepared for use.
Shaped like a flying thermos, the Sting is one of Ukraine's new indigenous interceptors.
Maryam Zakir HussainDecember 24, 2025 2:45 p.m
Russia launches hundreds of drones in major attack on Ukraine as hopes of a Christmas ceasefire deal fade
Just two days before Christmas, a large-scale Russian drone strike in the country killed three people, including a four-year-old child, Ukrainian officials said.
The latest barrage, involving more than 650 drones and three dozen missiles, comes as hopes for a U.S.-brokered ceasefire before December 25 are fading.
Maryam Zakir HussainDecember 24, 2025 2:20 p.m
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