Russia hammered Ukraine with missiles and drones on Saturday, killing six people and inflicting damage across several regions of the country, Ukrainian officials said.
Five of the dead were in Kyiv region outside the capital, where President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces targeted energy infrastructure, but also damaged residential buildings, schools and businesses. Fifteen people were injured.
Zelensky said the Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions were also targeted in an attack that included around 430 drones and 68 missiles, most of which were downed by air defences.
Later in the day, the governor of the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, Ivan Fedorov, said a residential area of the city of Zaporizhzhia had been hit by Russian-guided bombs, killing one person and injuring three.
Reuters Television footage showed emergency crews at work amid piles of rubble and twisted metal. Windows and frames on balconies were smashed.
&#8220;The second attack was strong. The kitchen window flew out, as did those in the living room and bedroom, everything went into a roar. I ran and got slightly injured,&#8221; Olha Kiyashko, 65, told Reuters.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve got no strength left. They took away our pension years — the years we could have lived on, the years we&#8217;d planned and counted on. All our health is gone.&#8221;
Saturday&#8217;s strikes come as the Iran conflict has distracted international attention from a U.S.-backed peace push in the four-year war, which Kyiv says Moscow has no interest in ending.
&#8220;Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine,&#8221; Zelensky wrote on X.
He repeated his call for Kyiv&#8217;s partners to boost production of air-defense weapons, stocks of which have been diminishing as the U.S. and its allies in the Gulf have fended off Iranian strikes.
Russia&#8217;s winter attacks on Ukraine have left swathes of major cities without power or heating, part of a campaign to weaken resolve as Moscow&#8217;s troops press a battlefield offensive and demand Kyiv cede more territory in the east.
Ukraine&#8217;s forces have targeted Russian strategic infrastructure such as oil refineries, depots and terminals in long-range strikes.
Ukraine&#8217;s Energy Ministry said on Saturday that consumers in six regions were without electricity after the overnight strikes and Russian shelling of frontline areas.
&#8220;There&#8217;s no way Russia will stop,&#8221; said local resident Natalia Fetko, 57, whose building was damaged in the strike. &#8220;Nothing is enough for them.&#8221;
Damage was recorded in four districts outside the capital, according to regional military administrator Mykola Kalashnyk.
Saturday&#8217;s attack also prompted NATO member Poland to scramble jets to protect its airspace, but no violations were observed, Warsaw&#8217;s military said.
In Moldova, on Ukraine&#8217;s western border, the Foreign Ministry denounced what it said was an intrusion by a Russian drone into its airspace in a border district, saying Moscow&#8217;s actions undermined regional security and posed a danger to its citizens.
(Additional reporting by Yurii Kovalenko, Serhiy Chaliy and Alexander Tanas; Editing by Toby Chopra, Gareth Jones, Rod Nickel, Ron Popeski and Diane Craft)

Ukraine

Russia Launches 400+ Drones, Dozens Of Missiles In Ukraine Strike, Killing 6

Global Politics

Ukraine-Russia War

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

World

American adversary Russia is reportedly providing intelligence to Iran on the location of U.S. forces, including warships and aircraft.
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/06/russia-iran-intelligence-us-targets/">cited</a> three officials Friday morning who spoke on the condition of anonymity and said that Moscow has indirectly joined the conflict between the United States and Iran. One of the Post&#8217;s sources said that Russia&#8217;s involvement &#8220;does seem like it’s a pretty comprehensive effort.&#8221;
The Trump administration has not yet confirmed publicly whether Russia has stepped into the conflict to help Iran. The War Department declined to comment on the issue when asked by The Daily Wire. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly did not address the Washington Post report but said, &#8220;The Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed.&#8221;
&#8220;Their ballistic missile retaliation is decreasing every day, their navy is being wiped out, their production capacity is being demolished, and proxies are hardly putting up a fight. Operation Epic Fury is meeting or surpassing all of its goals, and the United States will continue to dominate,&#8221; Kelly added.
After President Donald Trump launched &#8220;Operation Epic Fury&#8221; last weekend, Russia condemned the joint U.S.-Israeli military action targeting Iranian leadership, military assets, and nuclear infrastructure. Russia and Iran have long partnered on military efforts. Their ties were further strengthened last year when they signed a 20-year political and economic treaty partially focused on helping each nation fend off outside threats.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin condemned the United States and Israel after they took out Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Putin <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/putin-says-killing-khamenei-is-cynical-murder-2026-03-01/">called</a> the strike that killed Khamenei and members of his family and inner circle a &#8220;cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.&#8221; The Russian dictator, however, stopped short of committing to defend his ally as the United States continues to pummel Iranian forces and defense systems.
Even if Putin committed to back Iran against the United States and Israel, Russia&#8217;s ability to come to Iran&#8217;s aid would be severely limited as Moscow remains in the middle of a war with Ukraine that has entered its fifth year, with no sign of the conflict ending anytime soon. Iran also has close ties with China, but it appears that the communist regime in Beijing has yet to intervene.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth was recently asked about any potential role Russia and China could play in the conflict, and he replied by saying the countries are &#8220;not really a factor here.&#8221;
Iran has launched precision strikes this week that have hit their targets, including U.S. military bases and embassies. Six American troops were killed in one Iranian strike in Kuwait.
The United States, meanwhile, has decimated Iran&#8217;s navy and continues to hunt down the regime&#8217;s ballistic missile launchers. In an update at Central Command headquarters in Florida on Thursday, Admiral Brad Cooper said that U.S. forces have sunk more than 30 Iranian ships and recently struck an Iranian drone carrier roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier. The Israeli Air Force also hit a military bunker on Thursday night that has been used by senior Iranian political and military leaders.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-iranian-protests-intensify-as-citizens-demand-end-to-ayatollah-rule?author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=LIVE+UPDATES%3A+Overnight+Win+Blows+Apart+Iran+Regime%E2%80%99s+Secret+War+Bunker">LIVE UPDATES: Overnight Win Blows Apart Iran Regime’s Secret War Bunker</a>

Russia/Iran

A U.S. Adversary Quietly Helping Iran In War With America? Here’s What We Know

China

Donald Trump

Iran

Israel

Russia

Trump Administration

U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called &#8220;troubling&#8221; a report by five European allies blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using toxin from poison dart frogs, adding that Washington had no reason to question it.
&#8220;We obviously are aware of the report. It&#8217;s a troubling report. We&#8217;re aware of that case of Mr. Navalny and certainly&#8230; we don&#8217;t have any reason to question it,&#8221; Rubio told reporters at a news conference in Brastislava during a visit to Slovakia.
In a joint statement, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands on Saturday said analyses of samples from Navalny&#8217;s body &#8220;conclusively&#8221; confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia.
The Russian government, which has repeatedly denied any responsibility for Navalny&#8217;s death while he was held in an Arctic penal colony two years ago, dismissed the latest allegations as &#8220;a Western propaganda hoax,&#8221; according to Russia&#8217;s state news agency TASS.
When asked why the United States did not join the statement, Rubio said this was an endeavour by them.
&#8220;Those countries came to that conclusion. They coordinated that. We chose &#8211; doesn&#8217;t mean we disagree with the outcome. We just, it wasn&#8217;t, our endeavor. Sometimes countries go out and do their thing with based on the intelligence they&#8217;ve gathered.&#8221; Rubio said.
&#8220;We&#8217;re not disputing or getting into a fight with these countries over it. But it was their report, and they put that out there,&#8221; he added.
Russian opposition leader Navalny died in an Arctic prison colony in February 2024, after being convicted of extremism and other charges, all of which he denied.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Jan Lopatka; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Susan Fenton)

Secretary Of State Marco Rubio

Rubio Says U.S. Does Not Dispute Navalny Poisoning Assessment By Europeans

Alexei Navalny

Marco Rubio

Murder

Western governments accused the Russian state on Saturday of assassinating opposition leader Alexei Navalny using a rare toxin derived from South American dart frogs, rejecting Moscow’s long-standing claim that the Kremlin critic died of natural causes in prison.
The findings, announced at the Munich Security Conference by officials from the U.K., Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany, leave little doubt about the cause of Navalny’s death. For two years, questions lingered over whether his death was a natural consequence of imprisonment or a calculated act of state violence. Now, with scientific evidence confirming what Navalny&#8217;s widow and new leader of the Russian opposition, Yulia Navalnaya, and her allies long suspected, the focus has shifted to the Kremlin’s responsibility and the broader implications for Russia’s treatment of political dissent.
The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-by-the-uk-sweden-france-germany-and-the-netherlands-on-alexei-navalnys-death">statement</a> released by the European governments says forensic analysis of biological samples taken from Navalny’s body confirmed the presence of epibatidine. “There is no innocent explanation for the presence of this toxin,” the British Foreign Office said, adding that epibatidine is “not naturally found in Russia” and originates from poison dart frogs native to South America.
Navalny, 47, died on February 16, 2024, while serving a 30.5-year sentence in a high-security penal colony above the Arctic Circle. Russia’s prison service claimed at the time that Navalny collapsed after feeling unwell during a walk and could not be revived.
Western officials now say that explanation does not withstand scrutiny.
“Only the Russian government had the means, the motive, and the opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin against Alexei Navalny during his imprisonment,” said U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, in the U.K.&#8217;s own <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-confirmsrussia-poisoned-navalny-in-prison-with-rare-toxin">statement</a>. “By using this form of poison, the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition.”
The toxin identified, epibatidine, is estimated to be up to 200 times stronger than morphine. Officials said it remains unclear how the substance was administered, though they stressed that access to Navalny was tightly controlled by Russian authorities at the time of his death.
Navalny’s widow said the announcement was welcomed as closure, that it confirmed what she had believed since the moment she learned of her husband’s death.
“I’m satisfied,” Navalnaya said in an <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/international-telecasts/russian-opposition-leader-yulia-navalnaya-speaks-to-politico-at-munich-security-conference/673394">interview</a> following the announcement. “It’s difficult for me to say that it’s good news, because my husband was killed. He was very young — he was less than 50.”
Navalnaya said she never believed the Kremlin’s account that Alexei Navalny died suddenly of natural causes. The day before his death, she said, they spoke by video link and he appeared healthy.
“We saw him just one day before — yes, by video connection — but he was laughing. He looked absolutely healthy,” Navalnaya said. “So it was obvious to me that something horrible happened to him.”
From the outset, she said, she believed responsibility lay with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I was sure that it was Vladimir Putin who killed him,” she said. “And it’s not the first time.”
Navalnaya pointed to a 2020 assassination attempt, when Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent while traveling in Russia. After recovering in Germany, he returned home and was immediately arrested — a move widely condemned by Western governments.
“It was obvious to me that he was poisoned, that he was killed in this penal colony,” she said. “We didn’t know how exactly, and we knew it would take a long time to discover how it happened.”
That uncertainty, Navalnaya said, has now been resolved.
She said she was “very grateful to the governments of the U.K., Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany,” adding that “all the uncertainty is now dismissed.”
“This is not just our investigation,” she said. “This is an investigation based on very, very scientific sources.”
Navalnaya has since assumed a public leadership role in Russia’s opposition movement, vowing to continue her husband’s anti-corruption work despite mounting personal risk. For her, the Western findings represent an official, <a href="https://x.com/yulia_navalnaya/status/2022652772500316538">evidentiary record</a> of what she says the Kremlin tried to erase.
Moscow had delayed the release of Navalny’s body for more than a week. Thousands of mourners later attended his funeral in Moscow, while hundreds more were <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/hundreds-detained-in-russia-while-mourning-death-of-alexei-navalny-vocal-putin-critic">detained</a> across Russia for laying flowers in his honor.
The joint European governments have formally notified the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of their findings, alleging that Russia breached the Chemical Weapons Convention. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot <a href="https://x.com/jnbarrot/status/2022683063637946838">said</a> the findings showed that Moscow was willing to use prohibited weapons against its own citizens to maintain power.
Throughout his imprisonment, Navalny remained the most prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, exposing corruption and calling for democratic reform. The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed allegations of wrongdoing, characterizing Western accusations as politically motivated.
As of publication, Russian officials had not commented on the latest findings.

COMBO-GERMANY-RUSSIA-POLITICS-NAVALNY

Western Allies Say Alexei Navalny Was Poisoned With Frog Toxin, Accuse Putin’s Kremlin Of Political Murder

Europe

Russia launched a massive air attack on Ukrainian energy facilities overnight on Saturday, targeting electricity generation and distribution, Kyiv said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the overnight attack involved more than 400 drones and some 40 missiles of various types, targeting the grid, generation facilities and distribution substations.
Nearly four years into the war that began with Russia&#8217;s full-scale invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine&#8217;s battered energy sector is crumbling under the Russian strikes, accumulated wartime damage and bitterly cold winter weather.
&#8220;Every day, Russia could choose real diplomacy, but it chooses new strikes,&#8221; Zelensky posted on X. &#8220;It is crucial that everyone who supports the trilateral negotiations respond to this. Moscow must be deprived of the ability to use the cold as leverage against Ukraine.&#8221;
Moscow did not immediately comment on the attacks.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said the strikes hit two thermal power stations in Ukraine&#8217;s western regions and core elements of the Ukrainian electricity distribution system &#8211; substations and key electricity distribution lines.
&#8220;Russian criminals carried out another massive attack on Ukraine&#8217;s energy facilities,&#8221; Shmyhal said on the Telegram app. &#8220;Energy workers are ready to start repair works as soon as the security situation allows.&#8221;
The strikes were launched as temperatures began to drop and are forecast to fall to minus 14 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the coming days.
The new Russian attacks on the energy system also come just days after the latest round of the U.S.-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia on how to end the war.
Despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration and rounds of talks, diplomatic efforts have so far brought no tangible results.
Since autumn 2025, Moscow has intensified its attacks on the Ukrainian power grid and other energy infrastructure, forcing frequent blackouts across Ukraine and plunging millions into darkness for hours.
Ukrainian officials said that emergency power cuts were introduced across the country. Shmyhal said the government asked Poland for emergency power imports to help the Ukrainian grid.
Regional officials reported attacks across the country, including in the western regions of Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv.
The Burshtyn and Dobrotvir thermal power plants in western Ukraine were hit, officials said.
DTEK, Ukraine&#8217;s largest private energy company, said that equipment was damaged significantly at its thermal power plants in different regions. DTEK said it was the 10th attack on its thermal power stations since October 2025.
&#8220;Since Russians have been targeting energy facilities in various regions of our country, power outages may last much longer,&#8221; said Maksym Kozytskyi, the Lviv regional governor.
He said air alerts lasted more than six hours in the western Lviv region, close to the Polish border.
Polish authorities said two airports in southeastern Poland were suspended from operations as a precaution due to Russian strikes on nearby Ukrainian territory. The airports in Poland later resumed operations.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash; Editing by)

Severely damaged Darnytska CHPP in Kyiv after massive Russian attack

Russia Launches Massive Attack On Ukraine’s Energy System, Zelensky Says

U.S. envoys met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for over three hours to discuss a potential deal aimed at ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
Trump confidants Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with newly-appointed Board of Peace senior advisor Josh Greunbaum, met with Putin at midnight Thursday as the World Economic Forum in Davos comes to a close.
A video clip shared by the Kremlin on Telegram showed Putin, joined by his foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, and special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, shaking hands with the envoys prior to the meeting.
The group discussed the 20-point peace plan to end the Russian invasion, which has been held up due to key disagreements on Russian demands for land in Eastern Ukraine, much of which Ukraine has successfully defended at this point in the war.
The outcome of the meeting was unclear in the immediate aftermath of the talks, which were held shortly after President Trump said a deal was &#8220;reasonably close&#8221; and Witkoff <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-meets-us-envoys-late-night-talks-ukraine-2026-01-22/">said</a> a deal hinged on one last issue, according to Reuters.
Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hours earlier at Davos, describing the conversation as &#8220;good&#8221; to reporters aboard Air Force One.
&#8220;We&#8217;re discussing things that have been discussed for six or seven months, and he [Zelensky] came, and he said he wants to make a deal because I wasn&#8217;t necessarily sure. I think he should want to make a deal,” Trump said. “President Putin would like to make a deal. I think that President Zelensky would like to make a deal.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on his meeting with President Zelensky in Davos: &#8220;We&#8217;re discussing things that have been discussed for six or seven months and he came and he said he wants to make a deal because I wasn&#8217;t necessarily sure. I think he should want to make a deal.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/89LxjlmJTs">pic.twitter.com/89LxjlmJTs</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2014494433190817922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Zelensky blasted European leaders during his Davos speech on Thursday for what he called their inaction against Putin.
&#8220;Europe loves to discuss the future, but avoids taking action today,&#8221; Zelensky <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-22/putin-starts-kremlin-talks-with-us-envoys-witkoff-and-kushner">said</a>. &#8220;Where is the line of leaders who are ready to act?&#8221;

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-US-DIPLOMACY

Trump Pushes Ukraine Peace Deal As Kushner, Witkoff Hold Talks With Putin

Davos

Jared Kushner

Steve Witkoff

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of targeting civilians over the New Year, with Moscow reporting a deadly strike on a hotel in territory it occupies in southern Ukraine while Kyiv said there had been another broad attack on its power supplies.
The reports coincide with intensive talks overseen by U.S. President Donald Trump and aimed at bringing an end to the nearly four-year-old war. Each country has said the other is doing all it can to influence his views and shape the outcome.
&#8220;On New Year, Russia deliberately brings war. Over 200 attack drones were launched onto Ukraine in the night,&#8221; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram, saying energy infrastructure in seven regions across Ukraine had been targeted.
Russia accused Ukraine of killing at least 24 people, including a child, in a drone strike on a hotel and cafe where civilians were seeing in the New Year in a Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.
Ukraine&#8217;s military, which has accused Russia of killing many civilians in its own attacks on Ukrainian cities, said it targeted strictly military and energy targets, but made no specific reference to accounts of the strike on the hotel.
Zelensky said that Russia&#8217;s holiday season attacks showed Ukraine could not afford delays in air defense supplies.
&#8220;(Our) allies have the names of equipment which we are lacking. We expect that everything agreed with the United States at the end of December for our defense will arrive on time,&#8221; he said, without clarifying further.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the region, said three Ukrainian drones had hit the celebrations in Khorly, a coastal village, in what he said was a &#8220;deliberate strike&#8221; against civilians. He said that many people had been burnt alive.
Russia&#8217;s Foreign Ministry said that as well as the 24 dead, 50 people had been injured.
It said the strike, as well as other drone attacks blamed on Ukraine, sought to &#8220;divert attention from the failures of the Ukrainian military at the front. The Kyiv regime is trying to prove its viability through terrorist acts.&#8221;
On Monday, Moscow accused Kyiv of trying to strike a residence of President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian and European officials have said the incident did not happen and U.S. security officials were also reported to have found that Ukraine did not target the residence.
A senior Russian military chief handed to a U.S. military attache what he said was part of a Ukrainian drone containing data he said proved that the Ukrainian military had targeted the residence.
Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reported Kherson region attack or photographs of what Saldo&#8217;s press service said was the aftermath on Thursday. Saldo said he had briefed Putin on the details of the attack.
The images showed at least one dead body was visible beneath a white sheet. The building showed signs that a fire had raged and there were what looked like blood stains on the ground. Russia&#8217;s TASS news agency published video showing drone fragments, some with Ukrainian writing on them.
Ukrainian officials regularly report civilian deaths from Russian air attacks, including in the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, which lies near the front line.
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The Ukrainian governor of Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said that one man had been killed and an 87-year-old woman injured in attacks on the city on Thursday.
Ukraine&#8217;s deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said rail facilities had been attacked in three regions.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Thursday its strikes had hit military targets, as well as energy infrastructure which it claimed was being used to support Ukraine&#8217;s military.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia&#8217;s Security Council, told TASS that those who carried out the hotel attack and their commanders should be targeted.
Kherson is one of four regions in Ukraine which Russia claimed as its own in 2022, a move Kyiv and most Western countries denounced as an illegal land grab.
Moscow&#8217;s Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said Russian air defence units had downed 35 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours. He reported no casualties or damage.
(Reporting by Max Hunder and Reuters bureaux; writing by Philippa Fletcher; editing by Ros Russell and Ron Popeski)

Russia And Ukraine Trade Allegations Of Civilian Attacks On New Year’s Day

President Donald Trump talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, as the United States seeks to finally bring an end to the Ukraine-Russia war.
Trump&#8217;s discussion with Putin on Monday was &#8220;positive,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/2005668576771051870">according</a> to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who did not reveal any details of the phone call. Trump also <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115798213364038844">said</a> he spoke to Putin in a &#8220;productive telephone call&#8221; just prior to his meeting with Zelensky on Sunday.
During a press conference alongside Zelensky following their meeting, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-peace-deal-in-ukraine-is-closer-than-ever-save-a-few-thorny-issues">said</a> that he believes a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is &#8220;closer than ever,&#8221; adding, “In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other.” Zelensky added that Ukrainian negotiators have agreed to about 90% of Trump&#8217;s 20-point peace plan, while Trump said Ukraine agreed to 95% of it. Trump proposed a 28-point peace plan last month, but it was reduced to 20 points during negotiations.
“Our meeting was excellent, we covered — somebody would say 95 percent, I don’t know what percent — but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war,” Trump said on Sunday.
While Trump remains optimistic about the peace negotiations, Putin has shown no signs of slowing down his campaign to take over Ukraine.
Russia continued to pummel Ukraine with missiles and drones over the weekend, just ahead of Trump&#8217;s meeting with Zelensky. Kyiv, along with other parts of Ukraine, was targeted with hundreds of missiles and drones on Saturday. At least two people were killed, and 46 others were wounded in the attacks, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drones-missiles-pound-ukraine-before-zelenskiy-trump-meeting-2025-12-27/">reported</a>. Zelensky argued that Russia’s aggression was a direct response by Putin to Ukraine’s negotiations with Trump.
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&#8220;Today, Russia demonstrated how it responds to peaceful negotiations between Ukraine and the United States to end Russia&#8217;s war against Ukraine,&#8221; Zelensky said on Saturday.
Russia also accused Ukraine of targeting a presidential residence in a drone attack that was thwarted by Russian defenses. Zelensky denied the accusation, calling it a &#8220;new lie&#8221; from Moscow.
Russia has signaled that it does not agree with some of Trump&#8217;s peace plan, including how large Ukraine&#8217;s military would remain under the conditions, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-29/trump-putin-held-positive-call-on-ukraine-white-house-says">reported</a>. Another major sticking point in the negotiations is Ukraine’s Donbas region, which is largely under Russian control despite continued fighting by Ukrainian troops.
Zelensky, meanwhile, said on Monday that he wants security guarantees from the United States to last up to 50 years if he agrees to the peace deal. Under the current proposal, the United States and Europe would provide security guarantees for 15 years, with the possibility for an extension.
“I would like the guarantee to be much longer,” Zelensky said. “We would like to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years and then it will be a historic decision by Trump.”

U.S. President Trump And Russian  President Putin Meet On War In Ukraine At U.S. Air Base In Alaska

Trump Holds ‘Positive’ Call With Putin After Zelensky Meeting

Executive

Politics

President Donald Trump presses on for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, a fraudulent daycare scheme adds to the scandals in Minnesota, and major cities tighten security for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
It’s Monday, December 29, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below or on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251229">The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zelensky-visits-mar-a-lago-minnesota-daycare-fraud-12-29-25/id1576594336?i=1000743034813" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Hosts Zelensky</h2>
As the war in Ukraine continues to rage, President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-peace-deal-in-ukraine-is-closer-than-ever-save-a-few-thorny-issues">hosted</a> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, hoping to finalize a peace deal to end the war. Hours before the meeting, Russia hammered Kyiv with one of the most extensive airstrikes in months, killing four, wounding dozens, and knocking out power to much of the city. Trump described his meeting with Zelensky as “good and very productive.” Trump also said that “land” is a major sticking point in the peace process. Zelensky has vowed never to give up land to Russia, but did offer a compromise: turning some Ukrainian land in the East into a demilitarized zone. As an apparent show of good faith toward Trump, Zelensky has also expressed a new willingness to hold nationwide elections, a move Trump has long called for.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Empty Somali-Run Daycares Bilk Taxpayers For Millions</h2>
New reports of rampant fraud across dozens of Minnesota daycares have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shocking-video-exposes-more-apparent-somali-linked-fraud-in-walzs-minnesota">stirred</a> controversy online and even attracted the attention of federal lawmakers and the FBI. Independent journalist Nick Shirley posted a roughly 40-minute investigative documentary online that racked up tens of millions of views within days. Shirley claims that he uncovered more than $100 million in fraud involving Somali-run businesses. For example, Shirley and his co-investigator identified a childcare center that has received millions in taxpayer funds, but no one has seen the children purportedly cared for there. The explosive report has increased pressure on Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to be held accountable.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Admin’s Anti-Terror And Immigration Operations</h2>
While Americans took time to unwind over the holiday season, the Trump administration was active on several fronts. Alongside its aggressive foreign policy and national security moves abroad, it continued its immigration and counterterrorism operations at home. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has been ramping up her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tulsi-gabbard-warns-that-islamist-ideology-is-freedoms-greatest-threat">warning</a> about the threat posed by terror actors, especially after the Bondi Beach massacre in Australia and the attacks on U.S. servicemembers in Syria. Major cities worldwide, including in the United States, have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-cities-scuttle-new-years-plans-amid-increased-islamist-terror-threats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">altered</a> or canceled New Year’s celebrations due to security concerns. In the meantime, the Trump administration’s deportation operations have continued.

MRN_251229_V1

Morning Brief: Zelensky Visits Mar-A-Lago, Minnesota Daycare Fraud & New Year’s Terrorism Risks

Media

Minnesota

Morning Wire

Tim Walz

Tulsi Gabbard

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he believes Russia and Ukraine are &#8220;closer than ever&#8221; to reaching a peace deal that would finally bring about an end to the carnage and bloodshed of the last nearly four years of war.
&#8220;In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other,&#8221; Trump said in a Mar-a-Lago press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where he also revealed that he&#8217;d spoken at length to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day. &#8220;It&#8217;s been a very difficult negotiation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> delivers remarks upon meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZelenskyyUa</a> at Mar-a-Lago: &#8220;We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin&#8230; and I do think we&#8217;re getting a lot closer.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/tIHjR0wko2">pic.twitter.com/tIHjR0wko2</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005397981361566190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005399260355825824">Trump said</a> as the press conference began. &#8220;And I do think we&#8217;re getting a lot closer &#8230; We could be very close. There are one or two very thorny issues &#8230; but I think we&#8217;re doing very well. We made a lot of progress today.&#8221;
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Trump went on to <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005400040559284280">explain</a> that Zelensky might need to take any deal upon which the leaders agreed to the parliament or to the people via a referendum — but, he added, &#8220;Everybody wants [the war] ended&#8230; I want it ended because I don&#8217;t want to see so many people dying.&#8221;
The president then took a number of questions — and when asked about the &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005400349428027582">thorny issues</a>&#8221; he&#8217;d mentioned earlier, Trump said that was almost entirely to do with the land that had been seized by Russian military forces and who would control it once the ink was dry: &#8220;The land, they&#8217;re talking about. Some of that land has been taken, some of that land is maybe up for grabs, some of that land may be taken over the next couple of months &#8230; You&#8217;re better off making a deal now.&#8221;
Another reporter asked for a timeline, wondering how long it might take to get a deal across the finish line if they were, in fact, &#8220;closer than ever.&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005401647707484432">Trump&#8217;s response</a> was simple: &#8220;In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other&#8230; it&#8217;s been a very difficult negotiation.&#8221;
Reflecting on his earlier phone call with Putin, Trump said that the Russian president had seemed different than in past interactions.
&#8220;I saw a very interesting President Putin today,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think we&#8217;re going to get there. .. I was on the phone with him for almost two-and-a-half hours. We discussed a lot of things. We didn&#8217;t talk about the weather.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on his call with Putin: &#8220;I saw a very interesting President Putin today&#8230; I think we&#8217;re going to get there&#8230; I was on the phone with him for almost two-and-a-half hours. We discussed a lot of things. We didn&#8217;t talk about the weather.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/DUilLAh6lc">pic.twitter.com/DUilLAh6lc</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005401716943106558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I really believe we&#8217;re probably, Mr. President, closer than — by far — closer than ever before with both parties,&#8221; Trump declared, and when he looked over at Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader nodded his agreement.

President Donald Trump Hosts Visiting Ukrainian President Zelensky At Mar-a-Lago

Trump: Peace Deal In Ukraine Is ‘Closer Than Ever,’ Save A Few ‘Thorny Issues’

A Russian general and his assistant were killed by a car bomb in Moscow on Monday, with investigators saying it&#8217;s possible Ukrainian operatives orchestrated the attack.
Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, who was head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed in the blast, along with his assistant, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-explosion-general-killed-sarvarov-73413ae5936609832f706ab26f864b3c">reported</a>. Russian authorities said that investigators &#8220;are pursuing numerous lines of inquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services.”
Sarvarov is the third senior Russian military officer to be killed by a car bombing in the past year. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of the assassinations, including the killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who led Russia&#8217;s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces. Kirillov was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ukraine-kills-top-russian-general-in-moscow">killed</a> last December by a bomb placed on an electric scooter outside his apartment building.
“Kirillov was a war criminal and an absolutely legitimate target, as he gave orders to use banned chemical substances against the Ukrainian military,” a Ukrainian official said at the time. “Such an inglorious end awaits all those who kill Ukrainians. Retribution for war crimes is inevitable.”
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Russia arrested an Uzbek man who was charged with carrying out the attack last year on behalf of Ukraine. Putin called the assassination of Kirillov a &#8220;major blunder&#8221; by Russian security agencies.
Then in April, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskali was killed in Moscow by a bomb placed near his parked car, according to the AP. Ukraine did not directly take credit for Moskali&#8217;s killing, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the time that he received a briefing on the “liquidation” of top Russian military officials, adding that “justice inevitably comes.”
The killings of top Russian military leaders have come as Ukraine has held off Russian forces for nearly four years. The exact number of casualties Russia has suffered since launching its invasion in February 2022 is unclear, but President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-lot-of-unnecessary-death-trump-drops-new-figures-on-russian-battlefield-losses">said</a> in August that he had been told that over 112,000 Russians have been killed during the &#8220;ridiculous war.&#8221; Trump has been pushing Putin to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine to end the bloodshed, arguing that Russia is taking the brunt of the losses.

Russian General

Another Russian General Taken Out By Car Bomb On Moscow Street

Bombings

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remained committed to retaining all Ukrainian territory on Monday, pushing back against a key demand in the Trump-initiated proposal to end the war.
After meeting with European leaders to discuss the peace proposal, Zelensky suggested that Ukrainian leaders lacked the authority to give up land and would continue to fight to defend all of its territory.
“Under our laws, under international law — and under moral law — we have no right to give anything away,” Zelensky said, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/12/08/europe-ukraine-leaders-trump-plan/">The Washington Post</a>. “That is what we are fighting for.”
President Donald Trump told <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/09/donald-trump-full-interview-transcript-00681693">POLITICO</a> in a wide-ranging interview that was released on Tuesday that Ukraine needs to &#8220;play ball,&#8221; adding that &#8220;Russia has the upper hand.&#8221;
&#8220;They’re much bigger. They’re much stronger in that sense. I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the bravery and for the fighting and all of that. But you know, at some point, size will win, generally,&#8221; Trump added.
Trump&#8217;s 28-point peace plan, which is on the table before Zelensky and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/ukraine/trump-zelenskyy-hasnt-read-russia-ukraine-peace-plan-war-europe-putin-rcna247956" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> requires Ukraine to hand over some of its territory to Russia in exchange for the United States giving Ukraine security guarantees. Trump told POLITICO that Zelensky needs to &#8220;get on the ball and start accepting things.&#8221;
The two biggest hurdles to a peace deal are territorial disputes over Ukraine&#8217;s Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, according to U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg. Russian forces now control most of the Donbas, but Ukraine has not given up the region. Kellogg said over the weekend that Ukraine and Russia are &#8220;really, really close&#8221; to a deal, but Zelensky&#8217;s latest remark and comments from Russian officials suggest otherwise.
Putin’s top foreign policy aide said on Sunday that the United States needs to make “radical changes” to its proposal before Russia moves forward with a deal.
The president said that Russia&#8217;s continued missile strikes on Ukraine, which have killed dozens of civilians in recent weeks, are &#8220;a sad thing for humanity.&#8221;
On Sunday, Trump said that he was &#8220;disappointed&#8221; in Zelensky&#8217;s lack of movement on peace negotiations, accusing the Ukrainian leader of not reading the proposal to end the Ukraine-Russia war.
&#8220;His people love it, but he has it. Russia is fine with it … but I’m not sure Zelensky is fine with it,&#8221; Trump said.
Trump also called on Zelensky to hold an election, something Ukraine has not done since the beginning of the war in February 2022.
&#8220;I think it’s an important time to hold an election. They’re using war not to hold an election, but, I would think the Ukrainian people should have that choice,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;And maybe Zelensky would win. I don’t know who would win. But they haven’t had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.&#8221;

Trump/Zelensky

Zelensky Vows Not To Cede Territory As Trump Says Russia Has ‘Upper Hand’

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