«The Russian occupiers launched a drone attack on Odessa in the evening. The explosions are echoing throughout the city due to the enemy attack.” This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, quoting the head of the city’s military administration, Sergei Lysak, inviting residents to “stay in shelters”. Shortly before, the Ukrainian Air Force had reported the sighting of enemy drones in the Black Sea.
Meanwhile, there was the long-awaited video call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders. Participating in the “Berlin group”, the format met on December 15 in the German capital. Present at the meeting were German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, together with the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Antonio It costs.
The video call did not include the participation of US President Donald Trump and comes on the eve of the planned meeting at Mar-a-Lago. Zelensky, in fact, announced that tomorrow he will meet with Trump at the tycoon’s estate in Florida to continue negotiations on the agreement with Russia.
The starting point is the latest round of talks between the United States and Ukraine which produced a 20-point plan, which was sent to Moscow.
The face to face with Carney
Meanwhile, during his trip to Florida, the Ukrainian president stopped in Canada where he saw Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. To achieve peace in Ukraine we need “a Russia willing to collaborate”, said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney when meeting Zelensky. Carney also announced a C$2.5 billion financial aid package for Kiev.
«Thanks for the meeting, Mark! I am in Canada today, together with Prime Minister Mark Carney, as agreed. Together, let’s talk to our European friends. I am grateful for all the support for Ukraine, especially for the air defense support,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X. «Russia continues to torment our cities and our people. Moscow has rejected even proposals for a Christmas ceasefire and is escalating the brutality of its missile and drone attacks. This is a clear sign of how they really view diplomacy there. So far, not seriously enough. Therefore, a sufficient level of support for Ukraine is needed. And a sufficient level of pressure on Russia is also needed,” he stressed. “It is important that Canada announced a new assistance package today. It is important that we share common positions on many key issues.”
The video call with European leaders
After the meeting with Carney, the European leaders, meeting in a video call with Volodymyr Zekensky “agreed that security guarantees for Ukraine are crucial” and must be “specific and reliable”, the Polish prime minister wrote on Donald Tuskindicating that tomorrow, after the meeting between Zelensky and Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the Europeans will resume “the conversation”.
“We welcome all efforts that lead towards our common goal: a just and lasting peace that preserves the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and that strengthens the country’s security and defense capabilities, as an integral part of the security of our continent” wrote the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on social media at the end of the video call with Zelensky and the European leaders. “In 2026 the EU Commission will continue to keep pressure on the Kremlin high, to support Kiev and to work intensely to accompany it on its path towards EU membership”, he adds.
«As part of the process for achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, also participated in the phone call with President Zelensky this afternoon on the eve of his meeting with President Trump. During the conversation, Meloni shared and reiterated «the importance, never before now, of maintaining unity of views between European partners, Ukraine and the United States to put an end to almost four years of conflict. Only through this solid unity of views – he said – can Russia be faced with its responsibilities and pushed to demonstrate a real willingness to sit at the negotiating table”.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the Russian attacks in Ukraine, which demonstrate Russia’s “determination to prolong the war”. The recent Russian attacks in Ukraine demonstrate the “differences” between “Ukraine’s will to build a lasting peace and Russia’s determination to prolong the war it started”, Macron underlined according to his entourage. The French president spoke during a phone call between European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is in Halifax, Canada, on the eve of a meeting with US President Donald Trump, expected tomorrow in Florida.