Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia is currently turning up its nose, but Ukraine's partners are strong enough to turn it down. He emphasized that Americans are negotiating with Russians and discussing various options.
The state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" sold 91. 4 thousand New Year trees, generating 16.5 million hryvnias in revenue. The highest demand was recorded in the Volyn and Rivne regions, and the lowest in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.
The Head of the Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov, reported on fruitful negotiations in Paris with national security advisors and the US delegation regarding security guarantees. He also met with the head of French military intelligence, General Jacques Langlade de Montgros.
Political scientist Stanislav Zhelikhovsky explained what peacekeeping forces would mean for Ukraine and how effective they would be. He emphasized that it is fundamentally important for Kyiv not to be left alone with Russia in the post-war period.
On January 8, hourly shutdown schedules and power limitations for industrial consumers will be applied in all regions of Ukraine. This is due to the consequences of Russian missile and drone attacks on energy facilities.
The Ukrainian national large language model (LLM) will enter beta testing in the spring of 2026. The development is financed by Kyivstar, and the model is being trained on the Gemma family of models from Google.
President of the European Council António Costa stated that the security guarantees agreement is a key step towards achieving a just peace in Ukraine. He also emphasized that Ukraine's accession to the EU is an important security guarantee.
According to the results of 2025, Ukraine's car fleet was replenished with 81. 3 thousand new passenger cars. The sales leader was RENAULT Duster with 5371 units.
Donald Trump stated that without his intervention, Russia would have had all of Ukraine, and recalled ending eight wars. He also noted that Russia and China do not fear NATO without the US.
In Odesa, the illegal sale of three Nissan and Mazda cars, imported as humanitarian aid, was exposed. The suspect was detained after selling the car to a serviceman for 17.8 thousand dollars.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that no new air defense systems have arrived from the US, missiles are coming in gradually, and Ukraine aims to accelerate this process. He also noted that he discussed this issue with European partners, particularly France.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that changes to legislation regarding elections and a referendum depend on the progress of peace negotiations. He noted that if Ukraine manages to agree on a peace plan in January, then February could become a month for legislative changes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects to meet with US President Donald Trump to discuss, among other things, security guarantees for Ukraine for a period of more than 15 years. This issue was raised by Zelenskyy in December in Mar-a-Lago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is discussing future peace talks and possible venues with its partners. Turkey has previously served as a platform for prisoner exchanges, and this track will continue.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced a possible contact with Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks. The goal of the dialogue is peace.
A clear US commitment to support Ukraine has been removed from the text of the joint statement adopted in Paris. Instead, the US commits to supporting forces in the event of an attack and providing intelligence and logistical assistance.
President Zelenskyy stated that information policy is not a priority for Kyrylo Budanov. He also mentioned that there is no deputy for economic affairs yet, but Oksana Markarova and Chrystia Freeland will join the Presidential Office as advisors to work on Ukraine's recovery, economic issues, and investments in particular.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not received a clear answer from partners regarding the defense of Ukraine in the event of a renewed Russian attack. He noted that Ukraine must rely on its own forces, and the number one guarantee is a strong army.
The Ombudsman sent requests to the Ministry of Education and Science, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the Security Service of Ukraine.
Ukraine's international reserves grew by 30. 8% in 2025, reaching $57.3 billion, the highest figure in the entire history of independence. This was made possible by record financial support of $52.4 billion from international partners.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not disclosing details on whether Dmytro Kuleba could be appointed to a new position. The head of state commented on the meeting with the former Foreign Minister to journalists.
President Zelenskyy stated that Russia has suspended prisoner exchanges to pressure Ukraine. Budanov and Umerov will continue to deal with exchanges, despite Russia hindering the process.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that future security guarantees do not involve extending a "nuclear umbrella" to Ukraine. Discussions focus on troop contingents, ground, air, and sea defense, air defense systems, and strengthening and additional funding for the army.
Ukrainian negotiators, led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, held consultations in Paris with national security advisors from France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Turkey, with the participation of the US, NATO, the European Commission, and the European Council. The parameters of security guarantees, deterring Russian aggression, and the logic of further steps in the peace process were discussed.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with His Beatitude George, Archbishop of New Justiniana and All Cyprus. Efforts to achieve peace and humanitarian support for Ukraine were discussed.
Former Donald Trump adviser Fiona Hill stated that the Kremlin offered the White House "a free hand" in Venezuela in exchange for the US "turning a blind eye" to events in Ukraine.
The foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Poland will hold a meeting in Paris. The main topic of discussion will be support for Ukraine.
Ukraine is counting on accelerating progress with clusters for EU accession during Cyprus's presidency of the Council of the European Union. Strengthening sanctions against Russia and bolstering air defense were also discussed.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council published information about 11 Russian public figures who supported the war and the occupation of Ukrainian territories. Among them are actors, singers, theater and ballet artists, producers, composers, and public figures.
Since the beginning of the day, at least 185 road accidents have been recorded in Ukraine, 29 of which involved casualties, with fatalities and injuries. In Kyiv, 31 calls were registered, 3 of which involved injuries.