A source close to the Ukrainian delegation told the Kyiv Independent that they don't know how the meeting will unfold and are ready for "all scenarios."

Key developments on Dec. 28-29: * Trump holds call with Putin just before scheduled meeting with Zelensky * 'I have no deadlines' — Zelensky, Trump hold talks in Florida to discuss an end to Russia's war * 'It was horrifying, like an earthquake' – Kyiv recovering from mass Russian attack that left 2 killed, 32 injured, ahead of peace talks * Top anti-Putin Russian commander killed fighting for Ukraine * Russia aims to recruit over 400,000 soldiers in 2026, Ukraine's military intelligence c

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Dec. 28 that he held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

About the author: Yaroslav Yurchyshyn is a Ukrainian MP and chair of the parliamentary Committee on Freedom of Speech. For Ukraine's media environment, 2026 is set to be an intense year — no less demanding than 2025. In December, the president signed the law opening parliamentary committees to the public, which significantly eases the work of journalists and civil society actors by introducing online broadcasts, open meetings, and advance access to agendas. These changes also apply to local se

Russian troops opened artillery fire against the Kherson Thermal Power Plant (TPP), causing significant damage, head of Ukraine's Naftogaz said on Dec. 28.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi thanked "both sides" for agreeing to a temporary "window of silence," which is "part of ongoing efforts to prevent a nuclear accident during military conflict."

In this year-end wrap-up of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur looks back at the moments that defined 2025, the fourth year of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — from stalled peace efforts and escalating Russian attacks to mass anti-corruption protests and political upheaval at home.

The refinery was attacked multiple times in the night, residents claimed. An electrical substation in Syzran was also hit, causing blackouts in the city.

Ukrainian and Russian troops have been publishing conflicting claims and videos about who controls the front-line town of Myrnohrad, located just northeast of the embattled town of Pokrovsk.

Russia has lost around 1,204,510 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Dec. 28.

Without security guarantees, Ukraine cannot take any steps towards peace or hold presidential elections, which Trump's administration has pressured Zelensky to implement.

Myrnohrad in Donetsk Oblast and Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast are not under Russian control, Ukraine's General Staff said, dismissing the Kremlin's claims as "the weapon of disinformation."

Canada will provide Ukraine with $2.5 billion Canadian dollars ($1.8 billion) in economic aid to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Dec. 27.

Russia has fulfilled its mobilization goals in 2025 and has set its mobilization target to recruit 409,000 Russian soldiers in 2026, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, told Suspilne in a year-end interview.

Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies exposed a criminal group involving lawmakers who received cash in exchange for parliamentary votes, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said on Dec. 27. The bureau carried out searches in the government district in central Kyiv, including at the offices of the Parliamentary Transport and Infrastructure Committee. Investigators also searched offices at the Parkovyi Exhibition Center, a popular event space, where the President Volodymyr Zelensky's ruling

KOZHYCHI, Lviv Oblast — When approaching the quaint yard of Viktor Shelvinsky's house, one can scarcely believe it serves as a haven for hundreds of birds of all kinds. But quickly, the entry gate gives way to a spacious garden filled with aviaries of different shapes and sizes, housing storks, buzzards, pheasants, owls, and parrots. Shelvinsky, a 48-year-old veterinarian, has built the Free Wings (Vilni Kryla) rehabilitation center around his house on the outskirts of Lviv. He takes care of a

Elections have been floated as part of a peace or ceasefire deal that Ukraine has been discussing with the U.S., but voting in the occupied territories complicates the process.

Several waves of explosions were heard across the capital, according to Kyiv Independent reporters on the ground, as well as in Kyiv Oblast, where power outages were reported in the town of Brovary and surrounding areas following the strikes.

Russia launched nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles overnight on Dec. 26-27, largely targeting Kyiv’s energy and civilian infrastructure.

Denis Kapustin, also known by his nom de guerre "White Rex," led the right-wing Russian Volunteer Corps until he was killed by an FPV drone on the southern front, according to preliminary reports. More details are expected later.

The number includes 1,240 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

"I think they want to do it now, and I think that Russia wants to do it. But every time one wants to do it, the other doesn’t," Trump told the New York Post in a Dec. 26 phone call.

Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky and suspect in a major corruption investigation, gave his first media interview since leaving Ukraine in November, speaking with Ukrainska Pravda in an interview published Dec. 26.

Editor's note: The names of some of those from Russian-occupied Ukraine have been changed for security reasons. With one decree, Russian President Vladimir Putin this month effectively legalized property theft in Ukraine's occupied territories. The new law allows the occupational authorities to seize residential premises that "show signs of being ownerless." In reality, the owners have usually fled, or been killed by, Russia's full-scale invasion. "I'm in utter despair that the Russians are t

Russia is continuing to systematically recruit foreign nationals for its war against Ukraine, said Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, on Dec. 26.

From the grand halls of Kyiv's cultural institutions to small regional initiatives shaping public dialogue, Ukraine's cultural life has faced unprecedented pressures. Amid daily attacks, occupation, and displacement, many of the country's most remarkable cultural projects continue — thanks to steadfast support from ERSTE Foundation, one of the most consistent international partners in Central and Eastern Europe. For more than two decades, the Vienna-based institution has been deeply engaged in

Kharkiv Oblast was struck with with three KAB guided bombs, one of which targeted the city of Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.

President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Dec. 28 as part of the latest peace efforts to end Russia's nearly four-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a source in Ukraine's Presidential Office said.

Russia overnight on Dec. 26 launched drone attacks at Ukraine's sea port and energy infrastructure in Odesa and Mykolaiv oblasts, as well as railway infrastructure in Volyn Oblast, authorities reported.

The year 2025 arrived with talk of peace. It ended to the rattle of air-defense systems across Ukraine. It was a year shaped by negotiations and expectations, driven by U.S. President Donald Trump's push for a settlement — even as Russia continued to strike Ukrainian cities. The war did not end. Russian strikes did not stop. Early in 2025, hopes ran high in Kyiv that Washington would finally pressure Moscow into ending its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Those hopes evaporated when Trump redi

Russia launched 99 drones and one Iskander ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said.

The number includes 840 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.