Volodymyr Zelenskyy

TOPSHOT - This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Dec. 20, 2024 shows a building damaged as a result of a missile attack in Kiev, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russian missiles targeted the Ukrainian capital Kiev at sunrise on Dec. 20, killing at least one person and cutting heating to hundreds of buildings in cold temperatures.

The technological warfare called for by Vladimir Putin with Kyiv as a test bed brings new debate regarding Russia’s potential to develop more supersonic missiles and, more importantly, use them against Ukraine.

Donald Trump loomed large over EU leaders Thursday at their last summit before he reclaims power in the United States, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying only transatlantic unity can "save" Ukraine.

The upheaval in Syria after the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, and how to deal with the new leadership, was also high-up on the agenda of the gathering.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's suggestion to reduce the size of Ukraine's Armed Forces. Speaking at a press meeting in Brussels on December 18, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine will not agree to any reduction, even if the country receives an invitation to join NATO.

Keith Kellogg, appointed by US President-elect Donald Trump as the special representative for Ukraine and Russia, plans to visit Kyiv and other European capitals in January 2025. According to Reuters, Kellogg's European tour is still being finalized, but it is expected to include meetings with Ukrainian leaders in Kyiv, as well as with officials in Rome and Paris.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Poland's Prime Minister in Lviv, on Dec. 17, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that Ukraine will not extend its current gas transit agreement with Russia, which is set to expire on January 1, 2025.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russian forces are maintaining a strategic upper hand along the entire front line in eastern Ukraine, emphasizing that their offensive is gaining momentum. Speaking during a televised meeting with military leaders, Putin asserted that Russian troops hold the "strategic initiative" and have captured 189 Ukrainian settlements so far this year.

Ukraine said on Monday that its troops killed or wounded at least 30 North Korean soldiers who had been deployed by Russia to its western Kursk region, where Ukraine has seized territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 14 that Russia had begun deploying North Korean soldiers to storm Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region.

He spoke after Russian authorities said their firefighters were battling a blaze in the western Oryol region caused by a drone attack, with Ukraine saying it had hit a major oil terminal.