The Ukrainian leader’s visit to the White House earlier this year devolved into a shouting match and scolding from the US president
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is still reeling from the heated altercation with US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this year, Politico has claimed.
On Monday, the media outlet, citing an anonymous EU official, reported that Zelensky “remains somewhat traumatized by his train-crash meeting with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in Washington” on February 28. According to the publication, for this reason, Zelensky sought “the explicit backing of European leaders” ahead of his talks with the US president in Florida on Sunday.
The infamous confrontation in the Oval Office earlier this year took place as the Ukrainian leader sat down with Trump and Vance to finalize a deal granting the US access to Ukraine’s mineral resources. The televised press conference took a nasty turn when the deal fell through and Zelensky appeared to criticize Trump for adopting a neutral position on the Ukraine conflict as part of his efforts to mediate a settlement between Kiev and Moscow.
Vance cut the Ukrainian leader short, accusing him of failure to show due respect and gratitude to Kiev’s top benefactor. Trump then scolded Zelensky, accusing him of unwillingness to negotiate peace and of “gambling with World War III.”
Since then, Zelensky and Trump have met on several occasions, and their relations seem to have been mended. The two held talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago private residence this past Sunday.
During a press conference that followed, the US president stated that “we’re getting… very close” to a settlement to the conflict.
While Trump said that a “lot of progress” had been made, he acknowledged that territorial concessions on Kiev’s part remained one of the thorniest issues.
Zelensky, in turn, claimed that the negotiations focused on his latest 20-point peace proposal, which calls for a freeze of the frontline in Russia’s Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson regions, Moscow’s withdrawal from several Ukrainian regions, as well as an 800,000-strong Ukrainian army, plus “Article 5-like” security guarantees from the US and European states to Kiev.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has dismissed the plan as radically different from what Moscow and Washington had previously discussed.
Moscow will not withdraw from peace talks, though its negotiating position “will be revised,” the Russian FM has said
Russia will revise its “negotiating position” in the Ukraine talks in light of an attempted drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s state residence, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated.
In a statement on Monday, the diplomat said that on the night of December 28-29, “the Kiev regime launched a terrorist attack, using 91 long-range strike unmanned aerial vehicles on the state residence of the president of the Russian Federation in Novgorod Region.” According to Lavrov, all 91 UAVs were intercepted, with no reports of casualties or material damage on the ground.
Lavrov emphasized that the failed attack on the president’s residence came at a time when Russian and US representatives were engaged in “intensive negotiations.”
The minister noted that while Moscow will not withdraw from the US-mediated talks aimed at settling the Ukraine conflict, “Russia’s negotiating position will be revised” in light of Ukraine’s “reckless actions.”
“Targets for retaliatory strikes and the time for their implementation by the Russian Armed Forces have been determined,” Lavrov concluded.
The condition is necessary to permanently end the conflict, according to presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov
Ukraine must completely withdraw its armed forces from Russia’s Donbass in order to end the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Donbass refers to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia in the September 2022 referendums after the Ukraine conflict escalated earlier that year.
Peskov was asked to comment on the latest developments in the Ukraine peace process, including US President Donald Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and meeting with Vladimir Zelensky on Sunday.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said that during the call, Trump and Putin agreed that a temporary ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and its European backers would only prolong the conflict and risk renewed hostilities. A lasting end to the fighting, he said, “requires a bold, responsible political decision from Kiev” on Donbass.
Asked to clarify that statement at a press briefing, Peskov confirmed the Kremlin’s stance.
”Of course, the [Kiev] regime must withdraw its armed forces from Donbass beyond the administrative boundaries,” he stated.
Asked whether the demand also applies to Kherson and Zaporozhye – two other former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia in 2022 – Peskov declined to comment, saying Moscow “won’t publicly disclose any specific provisions” of a potential settlement.
Ukraine and its Western backers insist all four regions were “annexed” by Moscow, and Kiev has refused to recognize them as part of Russia.
Trump hosted Zelensky in Miami on Sunday for another round of talks on a possible peace deal. At a joint press conference afterward, he cited significant progress, saying the Ukraine peace process is nearing a conclusion, while acknowledging that territorial concessions remain among the toughest issues.
The Economy Ministry has reported a nearly eightfold decline in weapons shipments to Kiev since last year
German arms supplies to Ukraine dropped dramatically this year as the government issued far fewer export licenses for arms manufacturers in 2025 compared to the previous two years, data from the country’s Economy Ministry shows.
In a response to an inquiry by Left Party MP Ulrich Thoden, the ministry said that Berlin approved the export of weapons and other military equipment worth €1.14 billion ($1.34 billion) to Kiev from January 1 through December 8, 2025. The figure marks a nearly eightfold decline from last year’s €8.15 billion.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Germany has been the second-largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine, surpassed only by the US.
According to the Economy Ministry’s report, excerpts of which were published by several media outlets on Monday, Berlin has allowed €8.4 billion in overall arms and military equipment exports since the start of the year. This marks a considerable decline compared to 2024 and 2023, when Germany exported €13.33 billion and €12.15 billion worth of arms, respectively.
In late October, Politico, citing internal government documents, reported that the German government was planning a €377 billion expansion of its armed forces over the next few years. This push would reportedly encompass the Bundeswehr’s land, air, naval, space, and cyber forces.
The move is part of a broader move toward militarization across much of the European Union.
Speaking in May, Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged to turn the German military into the “strongest conventional army in Europe.”
Berlin has set 2029 as the deadline for the Bundeswehr to become “war-ready,” citing the alleged Russia threat.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month dismissed the claim of a Russian threat as a “lie” and “pure nonsense.”
In September, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described Germany’s militarization push and aggressive statements as “clear signs of re-Nazification” of the country.
The country has recently been rocked by a series of high-profile graft scandals linked to associates of Vladimir Zelensky
Ukrainian prosecutors have exposed a criminal scheme that illegally siphoned off electricity worth millions of dollars from state-owned energy giant Ukrenergo.
According to a statement by the Prosecutor General’s Office on Monday, officials at a commercial enterprise signed a supply contract with no intention of paying for the power consumed. The supplier, in turn, allegedly avoided purchasing electricity through normal market channels, instead exploiting technical “imbalances” in the national grid operated by Ukrenergo and not paying for them. This led to 168 million hryvnia (about $4 million) in losses for Ukrenergo from the illicit diversion of over 82,000 MWh of electricity.
The scheme reportedly included internal facilitation. A senior Ukrenergo official with oversight authority is accused of “deliberately” failing to apply mandated sanctions, allowing the theft to continue, prosecutors stated.
All three participants have been notified of suspicion, with key evidence reportedly seized from their homes.
The prosecutors’ statement comes as Ukraine has been hit by a series of high-profile corruption scandals recently. Last month, the country’s anti-graft bodies revealed a scheme allegedly involving Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s longtime associate Timur Mindich at the nuclear operator Energoatom. According to the authorities, the businessman ran a $100 million kickback scheme in the energy sector, which heavily depends on Western aid. The investigation led to the resignations of Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, and other top officials.
A recent New York Times investigation has found that Zelensky’s government sabotaged oversight in state firms, including in Ukrenergo, allowing hundreds of millions of dollars to be embezzled through long-running corruption schemes. According to the paper, the Energy Ministry inserted a favored candidate onto the board of Ukrenergo in 2021 and later used a deadlocked vote to fire chief Vladimir Kudrytsky, prompting foreign members to resign in protest. Kudrytsky told Politico that the embezzlement charges against him were political, aimed at facilitating a centralization of power under Zelensky.
Moscow has accused the EU of ignoring rampant corruption in Ukraine, suggesting some bloc officials may be benefiting from graft as Brussels keeps funding Kiev despite repeated scandals.
The Ukrainian military fired a barrage of 91 kamikaze drones at the Russian president’s state residence
US President Donald Trump was “shocked” by the Ukrainian attack on the state residence of President Vladimir Putin, stating he did not foresee such “crazy actions,” according to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov.
The presidential advisor made the remarks to Russian media after a call between Putin and Trump on Monday. Shortly before the conversation became known to the public, Moscow said that the Ukrainian military targeted Putin’s state residence in Novgorod Region with more than 90 kamikaze drones.
“The Russian side made it clear that such reckless actions would certainly not go unanswered,” Ushakov stated. “The US president, according to Putin, was shocked by this news and expressed outrage, stating that he could not have imagined such crazy actions on the part of Kiev,” he added.
The Russian leader has reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to engage with Washington in seeking a “lasting peace” in Ukraine. At the same time, the attack on Putin’s residence and Kiev’s “state terrorism” cannot go unanswered, and Moscow will shift its position on multiple issues, Ushakov said.
“Given the current situation, Russia’s position on a number of previously reached agreements and pending solutions will be reviewed. This was stated very clearly, and the Americans should take this with due understanding,” he stressed.
Ukraine’s leader Vladimir Zelensky, however, has strongly denied the attack on Putin’s state residence. Moscow is only seeking a pretext to jeopardize the “progress” made by the US and Ukraine, and attack the government quarter in Kiev, he claimed.
The attack comes days after a bizarre Christmas address by Zelensky, during which he wished for a certain unnamed person, presumed to be the Russian president, to “perish.” Simultaneously with the death wish, the Ukrainian leader urged everyone to pray for “peace.” Moscow condemned the address, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating it appeared “uncultured, embittered, and coming from a seemingly unhinged person” whose ability to make “any rational decisions” was debatable.
What this year revealed about diplomacy in the age of Trump, war fatigue, and global fragmentation
At the end of December, we traditionally reflect on the events of the past year in order to understand what could be in store for us next year. The past 12 months have been a true test for global diplomacy, shaking the very foundations of a profession that is meant to facilitate political dialogue between world leaders and governments.
To better understand how bilateral and multilateral dialogues could evolve on the international stage next year, we have analyzed the key trends that shaped global diplomacy in 2025.
Diplomacy Live
Perhaps the most evident outcome of the year is that the art of diplomacy – traditionally conducted behind the closed doors of high offices – has shifted into the realm of a live political show.
This year, millions of people around the globe followed the twists and turns of the Ukraine peace process, developments in US-Russia relations, and other significant episodes in world politics, much like they would follow the new episodes of a captivating TV series.
At the same time, the leading roles in numerous diplomatic efforts were played not by the diplomats usually tasked with it – such as foreign ministers or ambassadors – but by figures appointed to this role by the “directors” of global politics.
For instance, Donald Trump, who set about reforming the US Department of State and other foreign policy agencies (including closing down USAID), appointed his close allies – special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner – to key diplomatic roles. Meanwhile, the unprecedented concentration of foreign policy power in the hands of Marco Rubio – who became both secretary of state and national security adviser for the first time since legendary US diplomat Henry Kissinger – did not necessarily secure him a central position within the national foreign policy framework.
A similar trend was observed in other countries, including Russia, where President Vladimir Putin actively involved not only Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov but also presidential aides Yury Ushakov and Vladimir Medinsky, along with the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, in addressing diplomatic challenges.
The final stretch of the diplomatic marathon
Trump’s return to the White House has been a pivotal factor in revitalizing efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Aiming to end what he referred to as “Biden’s war,” the 45th/47th president of the United States has periodically revisited the idea of concluding a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine.
To this end, this year the US and Russia held preliminary bilateral consultations in Riyadh and Istanbul, Trump and Putin talked on the phone several times, and the two presidents held a US-Russia summit in Anchorage, Alaska. It was the first such summit in the past four years and set the stage for the ongoing negotiations between the Kremlin and the White House.
Trump’s engagement on the Ukraine front also led to the resumption of direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, which Vladimir Zelensky and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sabotaged in April 2022. These talks helped revive prisoner exchanges.
At the close of 2025, Trump and Zelensky held yet another meeting in Florida. The American administration seeks to push Kiev toward finalizing the details of a peace agreement. According to the representatives of all three sides, Washington, Moscow, and Kiev have made significant progress toward resolving the conflict; now they are entering the final stretch of the marathon, which, as any seasoned long-distance runner knows, can be the most challenging part.
Trump the peacemaker
Initially setting a brisk pace in his efforts to halt the largest armed conflict in Europe in the 21st century, the US president has approached other regional conflicts in a similarly dynamic manner.
The “Gaza peace council,” the “Trump Route” between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan through Armenia’s Syunik region, extended phone conversations with the leaders of India and Pakistan, and the ceremony for signing a peace treaty between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda at the US Institute of Peace are just some of the highlights of Trump’s foreign policy endeavors over the past year – which, however, did not earn him a long-sought Nobel Peace Prize.
Positioning himself as the only US leader who has not engaged in full-scale military invasions, opting instead for targeted strikes to influence the governments of Venezuela and Nigeria, Trump has crafted a new foreign policy doctrine articulated in the updated National Security Strategy.
While maintaining the idea of dominance across all areas – from military might to “soft power” – through the well-familiar principles of “peace through strength,”“flexible realism,” and “America first,” he has defined new regional priorities. According to these, America aims to preserve its hegemony in the Western Hemisphere and “contain” China in the Indo-Pacific region, while reducing involvement in Europe, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.
The end of the ‘collective West’
The recent shift in geographical priorities explains why, over the past year, Trump has done more to dismantle the “collective West” than the entire Socialist bloc managed during the Cold War era.
His ambitions of making Greenland and Canada the 51st states of America or imposing hefty tariffs on imports from partner countries in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe signal an unprecedentedly hostile stance toward those who have until now been considered Washington’s “junior allies.”
While Trump’s goal was to prevent foreign elites from exploiting the US, his blunt diplomatic style has led to an unprecedented realignment: for the first time since Brexit in 2015, the United Kingdom and its former dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand) have formed closer ties with Europe, particularly Germany and France.
This strategic divergence between Washington and Europe is most evident in the context of the Ukraine conflict. As the American president urged an end to hostilities, arguing that Ukraine’s situation and Zelensky’s position would only worsen with time, European leaders such as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron continued to support Zelensky’s determination to fight “to the last Ukrainian soldier.”
Zelensky himself hoped to “outlast Trump” and wait until the upcoming midterm elections in November 2026, when a Democratic majority in Congress might be more sympathetic to Kiev. In their efforts to undermine Trump’s peace initiatives, EU leaders approached a breaking point; their desire to continue supporting Ukraine through the expropriation of frozen Russian assets nearly pushed the European Union into a significant political rift, risking a loss of trust in European institutions among current or potential investors from the countries of the “global majority.”
Looking ahead to 2026
Clearly, the key players in global diplomacy are entering 2026 with very different mindsets. In Kiev, where corruption scandals and failures on the front lines collide with the cumulative effects of strikes on energy infrastructure, political tensions are escalating amid a power struggle. The political community is bracing for potential presidential elections, referendums, and other forms of expression of political will that could further exacerbate an already difficult internal situation.
In Europe, the mood is hardly more optimistic. Amid the militarization of economies and declining approval ratings of the ruling parties, euro-bureaucracy is reeling from the anti-corruption investigations surrounding former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, while national governments face the prospect of significant socio-economic upheaval. As a result, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recommended that Italians “take a good rest” during the holidays, as next year “will be even worse.”
No doubt, it will be hard to find common ground as each country faces its own challenges and approaches them with its own mindset. As Americans nervously anticipate a government shutdown and potential unrest during the FIFA World Cup and the G20 summit which coincides with the nation’s 250th anniversary, Brazil, Hungary, and Israel are gearing up for elections; and India is finalizing preparations for its BRICS chairmanship. However, one thing is clear: the coming year may bring many surprises, which can radically alter our understanding of diplomacy as an art of engaging with those whose perspectives on the world are fundamentally different from our own.
The US president has briefed his Russian counterpart on the details of his latest talks with Vladimir Zelensky
US President Donald Trump has held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning the Ukraine conflict, the White House has said.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the conversation had taken place in a brief post on X on Monday, stating that the call was “positive.”
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said during the call that Putin told Trump that the recent “reckless terrorist actions” by Ukrainian forces “will, naturally, not be without consequences, [without] the most serious response.”
Moscow revealed late on Monday that the Ukrainian military fired a barrage of 91 long-range kamikaze drones overnight at Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod Region.
According to Ushakov, Trump “was shocked by this report. Literally outraged. He said that he could not even have imagined such crazy actions.”
Ushakov added that the incident would “undoubtedly affect American approaches in the context of working with [Vladimir] Zelensky,” and quoted Trump as saying that, “thank God,” his administration had not supplied long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kiev.
On Sunday, Trump hosted Zelensky in Florida for the latest round of discussions on a possible peace deal with Russia.
The Ukrainian leader had earlier revealed his own 20-point plan to end the conflict that he claimed was under consideration, but Trump did not support the draft. When asked later whether the US had a ‘Plan B’ should its mediation fail, Zelensky said that Russia should be the party thinking about a backup plan, claiming “Russia’s ‘Plan A’ is war.”
Commenting on the remarks, the Kremlin official said Kiev should heed Trump’s warnings that the situation on the front was getting worse for Ukrainian troops every day.
The Russian president has, nevertheless, reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to engage with Washington in seeking a “lasting peace” in the conflict, Ushakov said.
According to Ushakov, Putin has had 17 contacts with US representatives this year, including ten conversations with Trump.
Moscow will review its negotiating position given that Kiev has fully turned to state terrorism, Sergey Lavrov has stated
The Ukrainian military fired a barrage of 91 long-range kamikaze drones overnight at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod Region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed late on Monday.
The Kiev regime has fully switched to state terrorism policies, and Moscow will review its negotiating position accordingly, the top diplomat warned.
“All the unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by air defense systems of Russia’s Armed Forces,” Lavrov confirmed.
The attack came amid “intensive negotiations between Russia and the US,” the top diplomat pointed out, adding that the “reckless actions” of Kiev will not remain unanswered.
Moscow has already designated targets and the timing of the impending retaliatory strikes, Lavrov warned.
The incident is bound to affect the Ukraine conflict settlement process, the foreign minister said without providing any exact details on the potential shifts in Russia’s positions.
“We do not intend to withdraw from the negotiation process with the US. However, given the complete degeneration of the criminal Kiev regime, which has shifted to a policy of state terrorism, Russia’s negotiating position will be revised,” Lavrov stated.
Ukraine’s leader Vladimir Zelensky, however, has strongly denied the attack on Putin’s state residence. Moscow is only seeking a pretext to jeopardize the “progress” made by the US and Ukraine, and attack the government quarter in Kiev, he claimed.
The Israeli PM is reportedly set to request Washington’s support for new military action against Tehran’s ballistic missile program
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly plans to ask US President Donald Trump to approve or join new military strikes against Iran’s ballistic missile facilities, The Washington Post has claimed ahead of their meeting on Monday.
In June, the US and Israel conducted a joint airstrike campaign against Iranian nuclear sites. The attack was initiated despite prior assessments from US intelligence and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which found no evidence that Iran was actively building a nuclear weapon.
The Washington Post reported that Netanyahu is expected to brief Trump on Monday about Israeli intelligence suggesting that Iran is rapidly reconstituting its ballistic missile program, damaged earlier this year.
The outlet stated that Netanyahu will seek a “green light for another strike against the Islamic republic’s ballistic missile program, possibly as part of a joint operation with the US.”
Monday’s meeting comes amid visible strain between the two leaders. CNN has reported that Trump has “grown wary of Israeli actions” and that their relationship has “become strained” as Netanyahu has repeatedly asked Trump to approve more aggressive military actions in the region this year.
A fresh point of friction emerged last week when Israel unilaterally recognized the breakaway region of Somaliland, a move condemned by bodies like the African Union and Arab League, and nations including Türkiye and Saudi Arabia. When asked if Washington would follow Israel’s lead, Trump pointedly told the New York Post, “No.”
Analysts cited by The Washington Post suggest Trump, who has touted his role as a Middle East peacemaker, may be reluctant to authorize new strikes that could ignite a broader conflict. The leaders are also at odds over implementing the Gaza ceasefire, with the US pushing its peace plan while Israel has been reluctant to withdraw forces.
