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As part of his year-end message, Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that a possible peace deal was 90% complete. "This deal is 90 percent ready, ten percent is left," he noted. "And that is far more than just numbers."

A Deal Needs Strong Guarantees, Not Weak Truce

Zelenskyy made clear that Ukraine desires an end to the war but not at "any price". "What does our nation want? Peace? Yes. At any cost? Certainly not," he said. "We want an end to the war but not the destruction of our country."

"Is the nation weary? Very. Does that imply we are ready to capitulate? Anyone who believes that is profoundly wrong," Zelenskyy added.

He expressed skepticism about Russian intentions, stating that even if troops pulled out from the Donbas Donbas, the conflict would not necessarily end. "Withdraw from the Donbas, and it will all be over. This is how a lie sounds," he remarked.

European Leaders to Plan Post-War Guarantees

In related news, France's leader Emmanuel Macron announced that European leaders and allies meeting in Paris in early January will make solid pledges towards protecting the country following any peace deal with Russia is reached.

Reciprocal Attacks Continue

At the same time, accounts of hostile strikes continued. An official from Kyiv's security service said that Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles struck a fuel storage facility in the Russian city of Rybinsk, sparking a large blaze.

On the other side, in Ukraine, a Russian-launched aerial assault struck apartment buildings and energy infrastructure in Odesa, injuring several people, among them minors. Officials confirmed four apartment buildings were affected and significant damage was reported to two power facilities.

Contested Claims Over Aerial Attack

Regarding previous claims of a UAV strike targeting a property of Russia's leader, American and European officials are in agreement that Ukraine was not behind the event. A report stated that US security officials determined the reported incident "did not happen".

In response, The Russian defence ministry published a video claiming to show debris of a downed Ukrainian-made drone. A Ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs ridiculed the evidence as "laughable" and stated it showed a lack of credibility in creating the story.

European Official Calls Claims a "Diversion"

Kaja Kallas called Moscow's claims "a deliberate diversion". "Nobody should accept unfounded claims from the invading force," she remarked.

Additional Developments

• North Korean Involvement: The DPRK's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, according to state media hailed troops operating in an "foreign territory" in a New Year message. Reports suggest North Korea has sent a significant number of troops to support the Russian military campaign in the region.
• Sanctions Extension: United States authorities have reportedly given a short-term exemption from sanctions to a Serbian, majority Russian-owned oil company until 23 January. This entity operates the country's sole oil refinery.