Volodymyr Zelensky has said that several draft documents have been prepared after a Ukrainian delegation held talks with US counterparts officials over the weekend.
This included a document on US security guarantees in the event of a peace deal with Russia, the Ukrainian president said following the Miami talks.
"They worked productively with envoys of President Trump and several draft documents have now been prepared," Mr Zelensky wrote on X.
"In particular, these include documents on security guarantees for Ukraine, on recovery, and on a basic framework for ending this war."
But Moscow, which also sent a delegation for separate talks with US officials in Miami, said the latest dialogue should not be seen as a breakthrough.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called it a “working progress” and that the discussions would continue in a “meticulous” expert-level format.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, said the talks are “going along” but offered no detail on whether anything had been agreed.
The talks came before a massive Russian air attack on Ukraine overnight between Monday and Tuesday. A four-year-old boy was among at least three killed after Russian forces fired more than 650 drones and 30 missiles at Ukraine overnight.
Key Points
- Zelensky says draft documents have been prepared after US-Ukraine talks
- Kremlin says weekend Ukraine peace talks did not produce breakthrough
- Boy, 4, among three people dead after Russia fires 680 drones and missiles - Zelensky
- Poland scrambles aircraft after Russian strikes on Ukraine
- Russia launches air attack on Kyiv, Ukraine's military says
Explosions heard in southern Moscow at site of general's killing
04:13 , Arpan RaiSeveral explosions were heard in southern Moscow today at the site where Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was killed by a car bomb on Monday, Baza and SHOT Telegram channels reported.
Witnesses told the channels, which have sources in Russia's law enforcement agencies, that a car was detonated.
At least two people were seriously injured in the explosions which took place near a police station, SHOT, Baza and other unofficial Russian Telegram news channels reported.
Sarvarov was killed on Monday when a bomb exploded under his Kia Sorento as he left a parking space in southern Moscow, Russian investigators said, adding they were looking at possible involvement by Ukrainian special services.
Russia claims control over villages in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk
04:00 , Alex CroftRussia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that its troops had captured the settlements of Prylipka in Ukraine's Kharkiv region and Andriivka in Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russian forces also struck energy and military facilities with Kinzhal missiles, the ministry added.
The Independent could not independently verify the reports of gains on the battlefield.
WhatsApp calls out Russia's attempt to restrict private communications
03:33 , Arpan RaiWhatsApp criticised restrictions to its service in Russia yesterday, accusing the authorities of trying to deprive more than 100 million Russians of the right to private communications before the holiday season.
Thousands of Russians complained about outages and slowdowns yesterday, monitoring websites showed.
"In restricting access to WhatsApp, the Russian government aims to take away the right to private, end-to-end encrypted communication from over 100 million people, right before the holiday season in Russia," a WhatsApp spokesperson said.
“WhatsApp is deeply embedded in the fabric of every community in the country – from parent and workplace groups to friends, neighborhood, and extended family chats across Russian regions. We’re committed to fighting for our users because forcing people onto less secure and government-mandated apps can only lead to less safety for Russian people,” the messaging and video calling app’s spokesperson said.
WhatsApp's statement followed a repeat warning by Russia's communications regulator that it would completely block WhatsApp if it did not comply with its demands to bring its services into line with Russian law.
"WhatsApp continues to violate Russian law. The messenger is used to organise and carry out terrorist acts on the territory of the country, to recruit their perpetrators and to commit fraud and other crimes against our citizens," Roskomnadzor, the regulator, told Russian state media.
It said it was taking measures to gradually restrict WhatsApp as a result
Ukrainian troops withdraw from eastern town of Siversk
03:13 , Arpan RaiUkrainian forces have pulled out of the embattled eastern town of Siversk near Bakhmut, Kyiv's military said.
“The invaders were able to advance due to a significant numerical advantage and constant pressure from small assault groups in difficult weather conditions," Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement.
It said it had withdrawn soldiers to preserve lives and resources, adding that they had, however, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.
Russia said earlier this month it had captured Siversk, whose pre-war population was around 10,000, a claim Kyiv had denied.
Pope Leo expresses 'much sadness' about Russia refusing Christmas ceasefire
02:59 , Arpan RaiPope Leo said he feels "much sadness" that Russia did not agree to a Christmas ceasefire in its war on Ukraine.
"Among the things that cause me much sadness is that apparently Russia has refused a ceasefire request," the pope told journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.
"I will make an appeal one more time to people of good will to respect at least Christmas day as a day of peace," he said.
"Maybe they will listen to us and there will be at least 24 hours, a day of peace, across the world.” the pope said.
Zelensky says draft documents have been prepared after US-Ukraine talks
02:01 , Alex CroftVolodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that several draft documents, including on security guarantees, had been prepared after Ukrainian officials held talks in Miami with US counterparts on ending Russia's war.
"They worked productively with envoys of President Trump and several draft documents have now been prepared," the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
"In particular, these include documents on security guarantees for Ukraine, on recovery, and on a basic framework for ending this war."
Russian authorities extinguish fire at Krasnodar port oil pipeline
01:00 , Alex CroftLocal authorities in Russia's Krasnodar region said on Tuesday that a fire at the fuel oil supply pipeline at the port of Taman had been extinguished.
It comes after a fire on an oil tanker and a pier, caused by a drone attack, was also extinguished on Monday, local authorities said.
Zelensky urges US to push Russia for an answer as peace talks continue
00:01 , Alex CroftKremlin says weekend Ukraine peace talks did not produce breakthrough
Tuesday 23 December 2025 23:02 , Alex CroftThe latest dialogue between Russian and the US officials in Miami on the war in Ukraine should not be seen as a breakthrough, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Calling it a “working process”, Vladimir Putin’s close aide said the discussions were expected to continue in a "meticulous" expert-level format and that Russia’s priority was to obtain from the United States details of Washington’s work with Europeans and Ukrainians on a possible settlement.
He said Moscow would then judge how far those ideas matched what he called the “spirit of Anchorage”.
Earlier, Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the talks were “productive and constructive”.
The Independent View | Ukraine is showing fighting spirit, and its allies must respond
Tuesday 23 December 2025 22:00 , Alex CroftThe Ukrainians have responded to the cautiousness of their European allies with a show of fighting spirit. After European leaders signed off a €90bn loan – as we commented yesterday, “just enough” to hold Vladimir Putin’s forces at bay but not enough to push them back – Ukraine has struck an alleged Russian shadow-fleet oil tanker off Libya, 2,000km from the battlefield.
Ukrainian drones also hit a Russian patrol ship and an offshore drilling platform in the Caspian Sea, hundreds of kilometres away.
This intensification of the long-distance battle that Ukraine is fighting in support of the ground war of attrition on its own territory is a fitting response, both to the hesitation of its allies and to the four-hour monologue of obfuscation delivered by Mr Putin on Friday.
Read The Independent’s view:
Ukraine is showing fighting spirit, and its allies must respond
Italian prosecutors move to drop probe into suspected Russian drone flyovers
Tuesday 23 December 2025 21:01 , Alex CroftItalian 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.
Pope Leo expresses 'much sadness' about Russia refusing Christmas ceasefire
Tuesday 23 December 2025 20:45 , Bryony GoochPope Leo said on Tuesday that he feels "much sadness" that Russia has not agree to a Christmas ceasefire in its nearly four-year old war with Ukraine.
"Among the things that cause me much sadness is that apparently Russia has refused a ceasefire request," the pope told journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.
"I will make an appeal one more time to people of good will to respect at least Christmas day as a day of peace," said Leo.
"Maybe they will listen to us and there will be at least 24 hours, a day of peace, across the world."
Ukrainian troops withdraw from eastern town of Siversk
Tuesday 23 December 2025 20:30 , Bryony GoochUkrainian forces have pulled out of the embattled eastern town of Siversk, Kyiv's military said on Tuesday, as Russian troops wage a battlefield offensive aimed at threatening key cities critical to Ukraine's defences in the east.
The fall of Siversk comes with Ukraine under US pressure to quickly negotiate peace in the nearly four-year-old war triggered by Russia's invasion, and puts Russian forces closer to the hub of Sloviansk, some 30 km (20 miles) to the west.
Sloviansk is a northern anchor of the so-called “fortress belt" of cities
in Ukraine's heavily industrialised Donbas region, which Russia has demanded Kyiv cede before it ends its war.
"The invaders were able to advance due to a significant numerical advantage and constant pressure from small assault groups in difficult weather conditions," Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement.
Watch: Senior Russian diplomat warns of Russia-Nato clash
Tuesday 23 December 2025 20:02 , Alex CroftWoman, 76, killed and three injured in Russian attack on Kyiv
Tuesday 23 December 2025 19:01 , Alex CroftA 76-year-old woman has been killed in Russia’s large-scale attack on Kyiv, according to the region’s military administration.
Three people were also injured, including a 16-year-old girl, military administration chief Mykola Kalashnyk said.
The attack caused a fire to break out in a two-storey house in the Vyshhorod district.
Two houses were also damaged in the Obukhiv district, where windows were blown out and roofs damaged, authorities added.
In pictures: Pensioners look through broken window after attacks on Kyiv
Tuesday 23 December 2025 18:00 , Alex Croft
Zelensky says progress in US-led peace talks 'quite solid'
Tuesday 23 December 2025 17:27 , Alex CroftInitial drafts of US proposals for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia meet many of Kyiv's demands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
But he suggested that neither side in the almost four-year war is likely to get everything it wants in talks on reaching a settlement.
"Overall, it looks quite solid at this stage," the Ukrainian leader said of recent talks with US officials who are trying to steer the neighbouring countries toward compromises.
"There are some things we are probably not ready for, and I'm sure there are things the Russians are not ready for either," Mr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv.
Almost all Russian cruise missiles intercepted by F-16 fighter jets
Tuesday 23 December 2025 16:55 , Alex CroftThe vast majority of Russian cruise missiles fired overnight into Tuesday were intercepted by F-16 fighter jet pilots, the Ukrainian Air Force has said.
Colonel Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for the Air Force of Ukraine, said: "You can see the extremely high effectiveness of air defence operations, because the Kinzhal missiles, although not intercepted by Patriots, did not reach their targets.
“Out of 35 cruise missiles, 34 were shot down, mainly by F-16 aircraft intercepting these missiles, for which we thank our brave pilots."
Russia fired 650 drones alongside the cruise missiles in the massive overnight attack, which killed at least three.
Russian calvary soldiers hit by drone attack as Putin resorts to horseback assaults
Tuesday 23 December 2025 16:23 , Alex CroftUkraine's own 'Dancing with the Stars' is back on for a special episode with wartime heroes
Tuesday 23 December 2025 15:51 , Alex CroftBefore the war, Ukraine’s own “Dancing with the Stars” was a cherished and popular television show, dazzling the audiences with performances by celebrities and professional dancers. The show is now back on for one special episode — this time with Ukrainian wartime heroes as the stars, underscoring the nation's resilience in difficult times.
Many still remember how President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — then an actor — won the dance competition in 2006, the year that “Tantsi z zirkamy” as the show is known in Ukrainian, first debuted.
In the new, special episode, the dancers perform with prosthetic limbs, showcasing their strength in overcoming adversity. The lineup of participants includes public figures who rose to prominence since Russia's full-out war on Ukraine was launched in February 2022.
Ukraine's own 'Dancing with the Stars' is back on for a special episode with wartime heroes
In pictures: Ukrainians shelter in metro station amid major Russian attack
Tuesday 23 December 2025 15:20 , Alex Croft
Russia and US hold talks on removing 'irritants'
Tuesday 23 December 2025 14:54 , Alex CroftRussian and US diplomats have held talks on removing “irritants” in the relations between the two countries, Moscow’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday.
But the main issues, he said according to news agency Interfax, remain unresolved.
Another round of such contacts is expected in early spring 2026, Ryabkov added.
The two countries have been discussing ways to resolve a series of disputes that have affected the working of each other's embassies. The talks are separate from Russia-US negotiations over the war in Ukraine.
Russia claims control over villages in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk
Tuesday 23 December 2025 14:30 , Alex CroftRussia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that its troops had captured the settlements of Prylipka in Ukraine's Kharkiv region and Andriivka in Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russian forces also struck energy and military facilities with Kinzhal missiles, the ministry added.
The Independent could not independently verify the reports of gains on the battlefield.
Zelensky says draft documents have been prepared after US-Ukraine talks
Tuesday 23 December 2025 14:18 , Alex CroftVolodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that several draft documents, including on security guarantees, had been prepared after Ukrainian officials held talks in Miami with US counterparts on ending Russia's war.
"They worked productively with envoys of President Trump and several draft documents have now been prepared," the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
"In particular, these include documents on security guarantees for Ukraine, on recovery, and on a basic framework for ending this war."
In pictures: Ukrainian rescuers respond to overnight attack
Tuesday 23 December 2025 13:17 , Alex Croft
Trump says Ukraine-Russia peace talks are 'going along'
Tuesday 23 December 2025 12:54 , Alex CroftDonald Trump has said peace talks between Ukraine and Russia are “going along”, but warned that “everybody is tired of that war”.
The US president was speaking at an event in Palm Beach, Florida on Monday. But he was sparing with any details on what has been discussed or agreed in the talks.
Asked by reporters for an update, Trump said: "The talks on Ukraine-Russia are going along. We are talking, the talks are going okay.”
He was then asked if he was still pushing for a Christmas deadline, according to The Kyiv Independent. He said: "I'll whatever I have to do."
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites could be targeted by new Russian weapon, Nato warns
Tuesday 23 December 2025 12:33 , Alex CroftRussia 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 it 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 the full report:
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites could be targeted by new Russian weapon, Nato warns
Ukrainian drone attack sparks fire in Russia's Stavropol region
Tuesday 23 December 2025 12:09 , Alex CroftAn industrial facility is on fire in Russia’s southern Stavropol region after an overnight Ukrainian drone attack, officials said.
Regional governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed the attack but did not specify the details of the facility set ablaze in the attack. He said no injuries were reported.
Russian oil major Lukoil runs the Stavrolen petrochemical complex at Budyonnovsk in Stavropol and the region also hosts gas pipeline infrastructure and fuel storage sites that make it part of Russia’s broader energy and chemicals system.
Ukraine has previously carried out attacks on the Stavrolen plant before and said its attacks inside Russia are aimed at weakening Russia’s military effort in the ongoing war.
Russian authorities extinguish fire at Krasnodar port oil pipeline
Tuesday 23 December 2025 11:45 , Alex CroftLocal authorities in Russia's Krasnodar region said on Tuesday that a fire at the fuel oil supply pipeline at the port of Taman had been extinguished.
It comes after a fire on an oil tanker and a pier, caused by a drone attack, was also extinguished on Monday, local authorities said.
Russian general killed by bomb under his car in Moscow - ICYMI
Tuesday 23 December 2025 11:21 , Alex CroftKremlin says weekend Ukraine peace talks did not produce breakthrough
Tuesday 23 December 2025 10:54 , Alex CroftThe latest dialogue between Russian and the US officials in Miami on the war in Ukraine should not be seen as a breakthrough, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Calling it a “working process”, Vladimir Putin’s close aide said the discussions were expected to continue in a "meticulous" expert-level format and that Russia’s priority was to obtain from the United States details of Washington’s work with Europeans and Ukrainians on a possible settlement.
He said Moscow would then judge how far those ideas matched what he called the “spirit of Anchorage”.
Earlier, Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the talks were “productive and constructive”.
The Independent View | Ukraine is showing fighting spirit, and its allies must respond
Tuesday 23 December 2025 10:31 , Alex CroftThe Ukrainians have responded to the cautiousness of their European allies with a show of fighting spirit. After European leaders signed off a €90bn loan – as we commented yesterday, “just enough” to hold Vladimir Putin’s forces at bay but not enough to push them back – Ukraine has struck an alleged Russian shadow-fleet oil tanker off Libya, 2,000km from the battlefield.
Ukrainian drones also hit a Russian patrol ship and an offshore drilling platform in the Caspian Sea, hundreds of kilometres away.
This intensification of the long-distance battle that Ukraine is fighting in support of the ground war of attrition on its own territory is a fitting response, both to the hesitation of its allies and to the four-hour monologue of obfuscation delivered by Mr Putin on Friday.
Read The Independent’s view:
Ukraine is showing fighting spirit, and its allies must respond
Zelensky says progress in US-led peace talks 'quite solid'
Tuesday 23 December 2025 10:06 , Alex CroftInitial drafts of US proposals for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia meet many of Kyiv's demands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
But he suggested that neither side in the almost four-year war is likely to get everything it wants in talks on reaching a settlement.
"Overall, it looks quite solid at this stage," the Ukrainian leader said of recent talks with US officials who are trying to steer the neighbouring countries toward compromises.
"There are some things we are probably not ready for, and I'm sure there are things the Russians are not ready for either," Mr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv.
In pictures: Russian launches huge air attack on Kyiv
Tuesday 23 December 2025 09:42 , Alex Croft
Woman, 76, killed and three injured in Russian attack on Kyiv
Tuesday 23 December 2025 09:17 , Alex CroftA 76-year-old woman has been killed in Russia’s large-scale attack on Kyiv, according to the region’s military administration.
Three people were also injured, including a 16-year-old girl, military administration chief Mykola Kalashnyk said.
The attack caused a fire to break out in a two-storey house in the Vyshhorod district.
Two houses were also damaged in the Obukhiv district, where windows were blown out and roofs damaged, authorities added.
Boy, 4, among three people dead after Russia fires 680 drones and missiles - Zelensky
Tuesday 23 December 2025 08:52 , Alex CroftA massive Russian strike on Ukraine on Tuesday killed at least three people, including a four-year-old child, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
More than 650 drones and more than 30 missiles were launched at Ukraine, he said.
A woman was killed in the Kyiv region, one person was killed in the Khmelnytskyi region, and the four-year-old was killed in the Zhytomyr region after a Russian drone attacked a residential building, the Ukrainian president said in an update on social media.
"This Russian strike sends an extremely clear signal about Russia's priorities. An attack was carried out essentially in the midst of negotiations aimed at ending this war," he said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Mr Zelensky urged Ukraine's Western partners to increase pressure on Moscow.
Russia fires dozens of missiles and 600 drones in overnight attack, says Ukrainian PM
Tuesday 23 December 2025 08:26 , Alex CroftRussia launched dozens of missiles and more than 600 drones in its early morning air attack across Ukraine including on the capital Kyiv, prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
Earlier, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, Timur Tkachenko, urged people to stay in their shelters until given the all-clear.
Ukraine’s energy sector was again one of the main targets of the attacks, prompting emergency power outages in a number of regions, including the capital Kyiv and its surrounding region, Ukraine’s energy ministry said on Tuesday.
It was infrastructure in Ukraine’s western regions which suffered the most damage, Ms Svyrydenko added.
In photos: Major Russian attack on Kyiv region destroys houses and apartments
Tuesday 23 December 2025 08:01 , Arpan Rai
Buildings in Kyiv attacked in overnight Russia attack
Tuesday 23 December 2025 07:52 , Arpan RaiRussian forces have attacked Kyiv and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the early hours today, triggering emergency outages, just two days after US-led Miami peace talks ended.
As of 6.20am GMT, air raid alerts covered nearly all of Ukraine, according to the country’s air force.
Debris fell near a residential building in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district, damaging windows, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app.
Watch: Senior Russian diplomat warns of Russia-Nato clash
Tuesday 23 December 2025 07:32 , Arpan RaiRussia bombards Ukraine hours after Zelensky warns of Christmas strikes
Tuesday 23 December 2025 06:47 , Arpan RaiRussia launched a major early morning air attack on Ukraine today, the Ukrainian military said, just hours after Volodymyr Zelensky warned Putin could strike hard over the festive period.
"Air defence forces are working to eliminate the threat in the sky over the capital," the Kyiv military administration said on Telegram.
It urged residents to remain in shelters until the all-clear is given.
Officials did not immediately report casualties or damage. The full-scale of the attack was not immediately known.
Just hours earlier, Zelensky said Ukraine is amping up its intelligence and air defence work ahead of Christmas as Russian forces are expected to carry out massive air strikes.
“We understand that precisely on these days they may – this is in their nature – carry out massive strikes on Christmas. And today we had a Staff meeting on this, and the number one issue was air defence: the protection of our cities, villages, and communities, especially on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th. This needs to be paid attention to,” Zelensky had said.
Hundreds of Russian drones target Ukraine; emergency power outages imposed
Tuesday 23 December 2025 06:39 , Arpan RaiSeveral Ukrainian cities are under a major air raid alert as Russian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone attack, including hitting energy sites in the war-hit country’s far western regions.
Ukrainian public broadcaster reported explosions in the western cities of Rivne, in the communities of Burshtyn and Rohatyn in the Ivano-Frankivsk oblast. Explosions were also heard on the outskirts of Cherkasy city.
Ukraine’s Air Force has warned of hundreds of Russian drones and dozens of missiles launched in Ukraine’s direction as air raid alerts were sounded in almost all parts of the country.
Emergency power outages have been imposed in several regions in view of Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure, Ukraine's energy ministry said.
“As soon as the security situation allows, rescue teams and energy specialists will begin addressing the consequences of the attack to restore electricity supply in the regions as quickly as possible," the ministry said.
