Dec 12, 2025 – Zelensky visits troops near Kupiansk after Ukrainian forces recapture several settlements, posts a Telegram video praising “our warriors” and says front‑line gains are essential for diplomatic progress, while the U.S. reviews revised peace proposals and fresh talks are scheduled in Paris over the weekend; Trump urges a quick deal and elections [8].

Dec 13, 2025 – Zelensky tours the Kupiansk area following Kyiv’s encirclement of a Russian group, emphasizing that battlefield successes strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position [7].

Dec 17, 2025 – Putin declares that Russia holds the strategic initiative across the entire front line and claims capture of about 300 Ukrainian settlements in 2025, while Zelensky highlights recent Ukrainian gains in Kharkiv Oblast [7].

Dec 19, 2025 – EU leaders approve a multi‑billion‑euro two‑year funding package for Ukraine’s economy and military, financed by borrowing rather than frozen Russian assets; Putin says Russia is ready to end the conflict peacefully but also lists towns he claims are near capture, prompting ISW to dispute the gains; Russia’s top economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev prepares a briefing in Miami on Berlin peace talks [3].

Dec 27, 2025 – Russia launches a massive missile and drone strike on Kyiv, killing at least one civilian, wounding dozens, damaging residential buildings and cutting power for over a million residents; Poland scrambles fighter jets and temporarily closes border airports; Canada announces a CAD 1.8 billion aid package to unlock IMF/World Bank financing; Zelensky prepares to meet Trump in Florida, saying a U.S.–Ukraine agreement is about 90 % ready and that the talks will cover security guarantees, economic aid and territorial issues [6, 9, 12].

Dec 28, 2025 – After a ten‑hour assault on Kyiv that kills two and injures dozens, Zelensky calls Putin a “man of war” and demands legally binding security guarantees in upcoming Florida talks, while Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney pledges CAD 2.5 billion in economic assistance and an IMF loan of US 8.4 billion; Putin warns he will achieve Russia’s aims by military means if Kyiv rejects peace, and Russia fires 519 drones and 40 missiles overnight; Zelensky and U.S. negotiators trim the original 28‑point plan to a 20‑point framework for a settlement [2, 5, 11].

Dec 30, 2025 – In a Fox News interview, Zelensky states “Ukraine cannot win without American support” and declares he does not trust Vladimir Putin, while noting his recent meeting with Trump was productive; the day before, Putin orders a renewed push to seize full control of the Zaporizhzhia region [10].

Dec 30, 2025 – Zelensky pushes back against former President Trump’s claim that “Putin wants Ukraine to succeed,” framing the conflict as Kyiv defending its sovereignty rather than shaping Moscow’s future [5].

Feb 22, 2026 – In a BBC interview, Zelensky says “Putin has already started World War III,” demands “intense military and economic pressure” on Moscow, rejects any land concessions that would cede 20 % of Donetsk and parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and insists Ukraine needs 30‑year U.S. security guarantees and licences to produce Western weapons before any election or further compromise; Trump urges a rapid ceasefire, pushes for territorial concessions and halts most direct U.S. arms shipments [1].

Feb 23, 2026 – Zelensky reiterates that Putin’s invasion “already started a third global conflict” on the fourth anniversary of the 2022 full‑scale invasion, warns that surrendering Donetsk would only placate Putin temporarily, notes that neighboring European states are rapidly deploying new air‑defence systems, reports that Swiss‑hosted trilateral talks stall over Moscow’s territorial demands, and says Russia launches 126 drones and a ballistic missile overnight, killing civilians in Odesa and Zaporizhzhia [4].