Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held his first official meeting with Polish President Karol Navrotskyi in Warsaw. The leaders will discuss security, economic, and historical issues.
High-ranking Russian officials rejoiced after EU leaders failed to agree on using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine. Instead, Kyiv will receive a €90 billion loan, while Russian funds remain blocked.
Due to Russian attacks on energy facilities in five regions of Ukraine, consumers have been cut off from power, with over 99,000 of them in Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Blackout schedules remain in effect, but additional capacities have been freed up to shorten them.
French President Emmanuel Macron believes it would be useful for Europe to resume interaction with Vladimir Putin. He stressed that Europeans should find ways to do so in the coming weeks.
The European Union and its member states are ready to contribute to robust security guarantees for Ukraine, including through a Coalition of the Willing and in cooperation with the United States. The EU will address matters within its competence or those affecting its security, according to the European Council conclusions of December 18.
The Kyiv City Council has decided to remove 15 objects associated with the Russian Empire and the USSR from the capital's public space. Among them are monuments to Mikhail Bulgakov, Anna Akhmatova, Mikhail Glinka, and Soviet inscriptions.
As of the end of October, 52,960 lawyers were registered in Ukraine. Over the autumn, the list decreased by 401 representatives, but since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the number of lawyers has increased by 8%.
Over the past day, 193 combat engagements were recorded, the enemy launched 74 air strikes and carried out 4281 shellings. The Defense Forces hit three areas of personnel concentration and eliminated 1220 occupiers.
On the night of December 19, explosions occurred in a number of Russian regions. A thermal power plant was attacked in Oryol, and an ammonia production plant in Tolyatti.
The European Union plans to introduce its 20th package of sanctions against Russia in early 2026, continuing pressure to end the war. EU leaders call for coordination with the G7 and stronger measures against sanctions circumvention, as well as condemning third-country support for Russia.
The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine reported that the procedure for providing compensation to military personnel under the eOselia program has not yet been developed. The law provided for compensation of 50% of the first installment and additional payments after the first and second year of service.
In Odesa, an energy facility and a residential building were damaged, and one person was injured. Residents of one of the largest residential areas were left without electricity, water, and heat supply.
The European Council decided to allocate 90 billion euros in funding to Ukraine for 2026-2027. The funds will be based on EU borrowings without the use of Russian assets and without the involvement of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 160 Shahed-type, Gerbera, and other drones on the night of December 19. Air defense forces destroyed or suppressed 108 enemy drones in the south and east of the country.
Over the past day, the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed 1220 Russian invaders and 141 units of enemy equipment. The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 19.12.25 amounted to over 11 million personnel.
Russian border guards on a hovercraft crossed the control line on the Narva River, landing on Estonian territory. Estonia has intensified patrols and will summon the chargé d'affaires of the Russian embassy for explanations.
The European Union has agreed to finance Ukraine with 90 billion euros over two years. Ukraine will repay these funds only after receiving reparations from Russia, and frozen Russian assets will remain frozen.
The number of patents in Russia has decreased by almost a quarter since the beginning of the war, reaching its lowest level in 20 years. Most state "innovative" projects are borrowed or adapted technologies, not genuine innovations.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz revealed details of the agreement between EU leaders on providing financial assistance to Ukraine for 2026–2027.
Negotiations between the US and Russia on a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine are planned in Miami, where the Russian side will be represented by Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev. The meeting will take place after consultations in Berlin, where security guarantees for Kyiv and possible territorial concessions were discussed.
The countries of the European Union have agreed to provide Ukraine with 90 billion euros in aid for 2026-2027. This was stated by the President of the European Council, António Costa.
Two FSB informants, exposed in Khmelnytskyi region in April 2024, have been sentenced to 12 and 10 years in prison. They installed hidden mini-cameras near operational airfields of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in western Ukraine to track combat aircraft.
The United States of America has removed several companies from the sanctions list that previously supplied sanctioned equipment to Russia, including for its military-industrial complex. Among them are Cypriot Veles International Limited, Finnish Hi-Tech Koneisto, as well as Dubai and Turkish companies.
In temporarily occupied Alchevsk, schools are not introducing quarantine despite the widespread outbreak of streptoderma among students. Parents are forced to attend classes, despite the risk of infection.
US President Donald Trump signed into law the defense policy bill for fiscal year 2026 with a record budget of $901 billion. The document allocates $800 million to Ukraine - $400 million for each of the next two years as part of the Security Assistance Initiative, which provides for the purchase of American weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Russian troops advanced in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, according to DeepState. The enemy has made gains near Dronivka, Nykonorivka, Pankivka, and in Huliaipole.
The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution on human rights violations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea and Sevastopol. 79 countries voted for the document, 16 were against, and 73 abstained.
The U. S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has fully launched the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, which will begin reviewing projects in 2026. The fund will focus on critical minerals, energy, transportation, logistics, and technology, attracting private capital.
As a result of the Russian attack on Odesa, a critical infrastructure facility and residential buildings were damaged, and part of the district was left without utility services. One person was injured and taken to a medical facility.
US President Donald Trump will sign into law on December 18 the defense policy bill for fiscal year 2026, which regulates military pay raises and measures to respond to geopolitical threats, and also provides for the allocation of $800 million to Ukraine for the purchase of American weapons.
