Dec 12, 2025 – Zelensky visits troops near Kupiansk after Ukrainian forces recapture settlements and encircle a Russian group, praising the soldiers on Telegram and saying front‑line results strengthen diplomatic leverage; the United States reviews revised peace proposals while former President Trump urges Zelensky to accept offers and calls for elections; Zelensky identifies the division of territory, control of the Zaporizhzhia plant and the future security architecture as the main peace obstacles. [5]

Dec 13, 2025 – Zelensky tours the Kupiansk area, meeting Ukrainian units that have reclaimed several Kharkiv‑Oblast villages and highlighting the encirclement of Russian forces as a rare gain amid broader Russian advances. [4]

Dec 17, 2025 – Putin declares that Russia holds the strategic initiative across the entire front, asserts capture of roughly 300 Ukrainian settlements in 2025, and vows to “grind down” NATO‑trained forces; Kyiv publicizes strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, and both sides acknowledge heavy civilian and military losses while Russia continues to label the invasion a “special military operation.” [4]

Dec 19, 2025 – EU leaders unveil a two‑year, multi‑billion‑euro funding package for Ukraine financed by borrowing rather than frozen Russian assets; Putin says Russia is ready to end the conflict by peaceful means but also claims troops are advancing and towns are near capture, calling Zelensky an “artist” and challenging him to enter Kupiansk; ISW warns that Moscow’s battlefield claims are exaggerated, noting Ukrainian forces have liberated much of Kupiansk; Russia’s top economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev plans a solo trip to Miami for a briefing on Berlin peace talks. [2]

Dec 26, 2025 – After a ten‑hour drone and missile barrage on Kyiv that kills two and injures dozens, Zelensky labels Putin a “man of war” and says the strike proves Moscow rejects peace; he seeks legally binding security guarantees in upcoming Florida talks with Trump and presents a trimmed 20‑point framework that includes NATO‑style Article 5 guarantees, limited troop withdrawals from Donetsk and demilitarized economic zones; Canada pledges 2.5 billion CAD in aid to unlock additional IMF loans, while Putin warns Russia will achieve its aims by military means if Kyiv refuses a settlement; Russian forces launch 519 drones and 40 missiles targeting energy and civilian sites. [1]

Dec 27, 2025 – Russia launches another massive strike on Kyiv, killing at least one civilian and wounding 27, damaging over ten residential buildings and causing widespread power and heating outages; Poland scrambles fighter jets and temporarily shuts border airports, though no airspace breach occurs; Zelensky prepares for a Florida meeting with Trump to discuss security guarantees, territorial issues in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, and a 20‑point peace plan that he says is about 90 % finalized, while Russia claims gains in Myrnohrad and Huliaipole that Ukraine’s General Staff denies. [3][6][8]

Dec 28, 2025 – During a Halifax stopover, Zelensky holds a conference call with EU, NATO and European leaders who reaffirm full support ahead of his Florida talks; a ten‑hour Kyiv assault involving roughly 500 drones and 40 missiles kills two, wounds dozens and cuts power and heating for more than one million residents, prompting Zelensky to describe Putin as a “man of war” and to outline a 20‑point “freeze” plan that would create demilitarized zones along the current front and secure separate U.S.–Ukraine guarantees; he also warns reconstruction will cost $700‑$800 billion and calls for additional weapons and drones from allies. [7][1][8]