On April 16, 2025, the U.S. State Department shut down its Global Engagement Center — a unit tasked with countering foreign misinformation, including Russian propaganda. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration claimed that the Center censored the voices of Americans instead of doing its job. The Kyiv Independent's Natalia Yermak speaks to James Rubin, a former diplomat who led the Global Engagement Center in 2022-2024, about how deeply the Russian propaganda influences U.S. politics and why the center's closure "disarms" the country in the information war.
"No matter how difficult it is for us, we need to protect as many people as possible, protect Odesa and our other regions as much as possible," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the planned replacement.
"I believe such strength exists in the United States and in President Trump. And I believe we should not look for an alternative to the United States, because all alternatives are uncertain as to whether they can end the war)," President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters.
Liberated in 2022, Kherson is still under daily attack from Russian forces across the Dnipro River. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko report from a city living under anti-drone nets and constant surveillance, showing how everyday life, from hospitals and schools to aid deliveries and cultural events, continues under threat, and why residents refuse to leave.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry is working on establishing a mechanism for providing Ukrainian citizen living abroad the ability to vote in the country's next election, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 20.
Sea drones have become a crucial component of Ukraine's defense toolkit, and co-production with a NATO ally could enhance long-term output and deepen European defense-industrial cooperation at sea.
According. Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Russia had mobilized 18,092 foreigners from 128 countries as of October.
The planned Miami meetings follow Witkoff and Kushner’s talks in Berlin earlier this week with Ukrainian and European officials on revisions to a U.S.-backed peace plan.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia targeted Ukraine overnight with three Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched from occupied Crimea and 51 attack drones.
SSO drones also hit a Russian oil platform located at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea. The platform is owned by Russian oil company Lukoil and is used for oil and gas extraction.
"Yesterday evening, Russia carried out a missile strike on a port infrastructure facility in Odesa Oblast. Some of the victims were on a bus that was at the epicenter of the strike," the State Emergency Service reported.
"We agreed with our American partners on further steps and the continuation of our joint work in the near future," delegation leader Rustem Umerov said after the meeting.
"We're not concerned about an escalation with Russia, with regards to Venezuela ... I think they have their hands full in Ukraine," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Dec. 19.
