Russia rejects Trump team's reported peace deal proposals on Ukraine

Russia has expressed dissatisfaction with the reported peace deal proposals on Ukraine from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s team, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on December 29, as per state-owned TASS. According to earlier reports by the Wall Street Journal, Trump’s team is allegedly considering a plan to delay Ukraine’s NATO membership by at least 20 years in exchange for continued Western arms supplies and the deployment of European peacekeepers to oversee a ceasefire. Lavrov criticized the proposal, suggesting it aims to "freeze hostilities along the current line of contact and shift the burden of deterring Russia onto Europe."

The reported plan was discussed during Trump’s December 7 meeting in Paris with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump reportedly emphasized the importance of Europe taking the lead in addressing Russian aggression. However, Lavrov claimed that Moscow has yet to receive any official communication from Washington about the proposal and noted that U.S. policy remains under the Biden administration until Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Lavrov reiterated Russia’s willingness to engage with the incoming U.S. administration, provided Washington initiates efforts to restore dialogue severed after the start of Russia’s invasion.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized on December 26 that Russia aims to conclude the conflict by 2025, maintaining optimism for success on the front line. However, Lavrov dismissed the feasibility of a ceasefire, calling it "a road to nowhere." Putin also indicated a willingness to engage with Trump but reiterated Russia’s core demands, including no territorial concessions and the rejection of Ukraine’s NATO membership. Despite Trump’s claims of being able to achieve peace "within 24 hours," his team has yet to release official plans, which Lavrov firmly criticized, particularly rejecting the deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine.

Child casualties in Ukraine within 9 months of 2024 surpass 2023 figures

Child casualties in Ukraine during the first nine months of 2024 have surpassed the total recorded for 2023, emphasizing the immense toll of the ongoing war on young lives, the U.N. Humanitarian Aid Organization for Children (UNICEF) reported on Dec. 27. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted from Russian-occupied territories and relocated to Russian-controlled areas or Russia itself, as documented in Ukraine's national database. UNICEF described 2024 as one of the worst years on record for children in conflict zones worldwide.

UNICEF confirmed a record 32,900 grave violations affecting 22,500 children since 2023 — the highest figure since the U.N. began monitoring such incidents two decades ago. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated that children in conflict zones face extreme risks, including being out of school, malnourished, or forcibly displaced. In Ukraine, as in countries like Syria, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, millions of children have lost access to education due to schools being destroyed, damaged, or repurposed. Globally, over 52 million children in conflict zones are out of school, with many in Gaza and Sudan missing over a year of education. Russell underscored the urgent need for action, warning against accepting these conditions as "the new normal," and called for a collective global effort to protect children from becoming collateral damage in unchecked wars.

Russia attacked Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts one killed one person and another severely injured

A civilian was killed in Kherson Oblast on Dec. 29 when a Russian drone targeted a vehicle in the village of Tiahynka, Beryslav district, according to the Kherson Oblast Prosecutor’s Office. The attack occurred around noon and resulted in a fatal explosion.

In a separate incident in the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a Russian kamikaze drone strike injured three people in the Marhanets hromada. Serhii Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, reported that a 77-year-old man sustained a severe head injury and is in critical condition, while a 38-year-old woman with blast injuries is also hospitalized. A 65-year-old man received medical care and is under outpatient supervision.

Ukrainian troops risk losing control of conquered territories in Kursk Oblast

Ukrainian forces face severe challenges in Russia's Kursk Oblast, struggling to retain gains from their August offensive amid intense Russian counterattacks. Exhausted and demoralized, many units are unable to evacuate the dead, and miscommunication hampers effective responses. Russia has deployed over 50,000 troops, including North Korean forces, to this front, causing heavy Ukrainian casualties and reclaiming over 40% of the territory seized earlier. Some frontline commanders report low morale, poorly coordinated tactics, and orders that fail to align with the realities on the ground, forcing troops to act independently.

President Zelensky's strategic gamble to hold Kursk as leverage for negotiations risks stretching Ukraine's defenses along the 1,000-km front line. Commanders express frustration over untenable defensive positions and insufficient preparation for Russia's aggressive response, with some accusing leadership of neglecting operational realities. Despite these challenges, troops are resolved to fight, fearing a retreat would embolden further Russian advances. The dire situation underscores mounting pressure on Ukraine's forces as the war drags on.