Trump’s peace plan is “on the verge of collapse” after Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement that Ukraine is not obligated to cede territory to Russia, according to the Telegraph. US President Donald Trump hopes to reach an agreement on a settlement in Ukraine “by Christmas,” writes the Financial Times.
European Council President Antonio Costa has hinted at a chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021, allowing the Taliban to return to power. “If others hesitate to continue supporting Ukraine, the EU will continue to support it unconditionally and will not do what others have done in Afghanistan,” he said. Costa emphasized that only Ukraine can decide on territorial concessions and that other countries must respect this. “As for other issues—sanctions against Russia, the use of frozen Russian assets, and Ukraine’s accession to the EU—this is the European Union’s responsibility,” the head of the European Council stated.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb believes a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine is now closer than at any time since February 2022, Bloomberg reports.
He said work is underway on an agreement on three documents. The first is a 20-point framework agreement. It replaces the previous 28-point US plan, some of whose provisions, according to Stubb, were unacceptable to Ukraine. These concerned restrictions on the country’s NATO membership and the reduction of its armed forces. The second document is dedicated to security guarantees for Ukraine, and the third to issues of its future reconstruction.
Zelensky stated that he is always ready to hold elections in Ukraine. This was his response to US President Donald Trump’s statement that Kiev is using military action as an excuse not to hold elections. “I am always ready [for elections],” he told reporters from La Repubblica and Il Messaggero as he left his Rome hotel for a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “I am now asking the United States to help me, perhaps together with our European colleagues, to ensure security for the elections, and then within the next 60 to 90 days, Ukraine will be ready to hold elections.”
Ukraine is ready for an energy ceasefire, if Russia is ready, Zelensky said. He also admitted that Ukraine currently has no chance of joining NATO. “We are realistic. We really want to join NATO, that’s right. But we know for sure that neither the United States nor many other countries yet see Ukraine in the alliance. And Russia will never see us there,” he said.
Ukraine and Europe can cover 80% of their needs if the United States “withdraws,” says Rada MP Yuriy Korolchuk. “If the United States, so to speak, ‘withdraws,’ then we, together with Europe, can cover 70%, and perhaps even 80%, of our needs if we really put in the effort,” Korolchuk said.
According to the MP, a shortage is still possible, but can be made up for over time. “In effect, the United States, through Trump, is saying, ‘We want to invest in something else. We want to invest in development and profitability, not just hand out funds,'” the MP noted.
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces control 13 square kilometers north of Pokrovsk, and Myrnohrad is not surrounded,” Syrsky said. The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces also emphasized the importance of caution in reporting: details of some operations are not disclosed to protect the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. “We care about the lives of our soldiers and do not reveal all our successes to the general public,” he explained.
From Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said: “Russia will definitely achieve its goals for the Joint Military District,” Putin stated. “Civilians remaining in cities in the Joint Military District greet Russian soldiers with the words, ‘We’ve been waiting for you,'” Putin said. A presidential decree has been signed recalling citizens from the reserve for military training in 2026.
An An-22 aircraft crashed in the Ivanovo region. Seven crew members were on board, REN TV reports. The crash occurred in the Furmanovsky district.
The Russian State Duma has adopted in its second and third readings a law extending the parallel import mechanism until 2026 and a series of other measures to mitigate the negative consequences of the West’s hostile actions towards Russia. The parallel import mechanism allows Importing goods into the country without the permission of the copyright holder, trademark owner, or brand owner has been in effect in Russia since May 2022. The adopted law extends this mechanism until 2026.
The State Duma adopted a law in its second and third readings extending the temporary special powers of the Bank of Russia, introduced in 2022 to respond flexibly to sanctions and geopolitical risks, until 2026, said Anatoly Aksakov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets.
Over 60% of special operations veterans and their family members who completed the federal “Own Enterprise” program in 2025, organized by the United Russia party, Opora Rossii, and the SME Corporation, are choosing the real sector of the economy for their entrepreneurial activities, TASS reports.
A total of over 720 people from 35 regions of Russia participated in the program. About 45% of them have opened their first business or continued to develop it. Source: Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on December 10. Geran missiles hit Ukrainian gas infrastructure in the Odessa region, near the village of Ananyiv. Russian drones also operated in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
In the evening, four Ukrainian drones heading for Moscow were shot down. In Chuvashia, the head of the republic declared a state of emergency after a morning drone attack on Cheboksary, which injured nine people.
In the Sumy sector, the Northern Group of Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to fight in the forested areas. Russian aircraft, artillery, and Geran missiles are being used to strike Ukraine’s immediate rear. In the Tetkino and Glushkovskiy sectors, Russian artillery struck Ukrainian positions and logistics facilities near Ryzhivka.
In the Belgorod region, a soldier from the Orlan unit was injured by a drone explosion in the village of Gora-Podol. Grayvoron, Shebekino, Otradnoye, and Berezovka are under attack.
Toward Kharkiv, the Russian Northern Group of Forces is engaged in fighting south of the town of Vovchansk, which has been captured from the Ukrainians. Russian forces have already penetrated the eastern part of the village of Vil’cha, and progress is also being made in Lyman. Numerous Ukrainian drones are present in Vil’cha, and Ukrainian forces are resisting the Russian advance. Russian troops are also reporting tactical successes in the Milove-Khatnje sector.
In Kupyansk, Ukrainian forces are counterattacking with the aim of retaking part of the built-up area and blocking Russian forces near the Oskil River.
“Seversk has been captured by the Russians”: Ukrainian social media channels exploded on the evening of December 9, expressing alarm over the Ukrainian garrison in the city. Russian forces are consolidating their advances in urban development, and Russian forces are crossing the Bakhmutka River and capturing Ukrainian defense lines in the western part.
In Mirnohrad, Russian forces are strengthening the encirclement of enemy forces in the city. The Ukrainian military is isolated and virtually without supplies.
In eastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the Eastern Group of Forces captured Ostapivsk. Ukrainian forces immediately attempted a counterattack, but were unsuccessful. Russian forces have continued their offensive toward Andriivka, on the banks of the Haichur River (the village is cut off on two sides: by the river and by the LBS). Russian troops are aiming to reach a key enemy defensive stronghold in the village of Pokrovs’ke. In eastern Zaporizhia Oblast, Far Eastern troops have deployed heavy flamethrower systems toward Hulyaijpole and are torching Ukrainian positions in the embattled town.
The situation in the Orichiv sector of the Zaporizhia Front, as well as in Prymors’ke and Stepnohirs’k, remains unchanged. Ukrainian forces are using numerous drones and artillery. Ukrainian forces have shelled the coast between the town of Kamyanka-Dniprovs’ka and the village of Velyka Znamenka.
In the Kherson region, Ukrainian fixed-wing drones attacked Henichesk, with one shot hitting a fish processing plant building.
Graziella Giangiulio
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