News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe

The visit comes amid a surge of diplomatic efforts after the U.S. backed a 28-point plan that many viewed as effectively pushing Ukraine toward capitulation in Russia's all-out war.

A fire caused damage to facilities at the Temryuk port in Krasnodar Krai, a major Russian hub and oil export terminal. Locals also reported explosions at the Syzran Oil Refinery in Samara Oblast.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Dec. 4 fined New York-based property manager Gracetown Inc. more than $7 million for accepting payments linked to a company owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

The discussion reflected growing concern in European capitals over Washington's posture as the latest peace push moves forward.

Irish outlet The Journal reported on Dec. 4 that four unidentified, “military-style” drones were seen breaching a no-fly zone near the expected flight path of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plane as it arrived in Ireland earlier in the week, according to unnamed security sources.

The Kyiv Appeals Court ordered on Dec. 3 the release of Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, a detective with Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), who had been investigating the country's largest corruption case involving the state-run nuclear power monopoly Energoatom.

Ukraine’s lethal and non-lethal military equipment procurement agencies will merge into one under the Defense Ministry from Jan. 1, going against NATO’s recommendations last year and raising eyebrows among anti-corruption activists.

Seven more Ukrainian children taken to Russia have been returned to their families, U.S. first lady Melania Trump said.

Successful strikes by Ukraine's military intelligence agency destroyed a Russian MiG-29 fighter jet and an Irtysh radar system in Russian-occupied Crimea, the agency said.

The visit comes as Cyprus is about to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in January, with Nicosia viewing enlargement as a "key priority," a Cypriot government spokesperson said.

The closure came after several days of sustained attacks by drones and artillery, targeting the halls and equipment of the plant, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.