Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,404

Here is wherever things basal connected Monday, December 29:

Diplomacy

• United States President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks astatine his Mar-a-Lago edifice successful Florida and said the 2 leaders were “getting a batch closer, possibly precise close” to a woody to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine.
• Trump and Zelenskyy reported advancement connected 2 of the astir contentious issues successful the bid talks: information guarantees for Ukraine and the part of eastbound Ukraine’s Donbas portion that Russia has sought to capture.
• On information guarantees, Zelenskyy said that a woody had been reached, portion Trump said they were 95 percent of the mode to specified an agreement.
• Both Trump and Zelenskyy said that the aboriginal of the mostly Russian-occupied Donbas had not been settled, though the US president said discussions were “moving successful the close direction”. “It’s unresolved, but it’s getting a batch closer. That’s a precise pugnacious issue,” Trump said.
• The 2 leaders did not connection further details oregon a deadline for completing the deal, but Zelenskyy said immoderate bid statement would person to beryllium approved by Ukraine’s parliament oregon by a referendum.
• Shortly aft the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s peculiar envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, wrote connected X that the “whole satellite appreciates” Trump and his team’s bid efforts.
• Ahead of the gathering with Zelenskyy, Trump and Putin spoke for much than 2 hours connected the telephone. The US president described the telephone arsenic “excellent” and “productive”.
• Trump said helium would telephone Putin again aft the gathering with Zelenskyy.
• Kremlin overseas argumentation adjutant Yury Ushakov said the archetypal telephone was “friendly” and that Putin had told Trump that a 60-day ceasefire, projected by the European Union and Ukraine, would simply prolong the war.
• Ushakov said that a “bold, responsible, governmental determination is needed from Kyiv” connected the Donbas portion and different disputed matters for determination to beryllium a “complete cessation” of hostilities.
• European leaders, including those from Finland, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom, joined astatine slightest portion of the Trump-Zelenskyy gathering by phone.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said successful a connection that Europe was acceptable to support moving with Ukraine and the US, and that having ironclad information guarantees would beryllium of “paramount” importance.
• French President Emmanuel Macron said that advancement had been made connected information guarantees astatine the meeting. Macron said that countries successful the alleged “Coalition of the Willing” would conscionable successful Paris successful aboriginal January to finalise their “concrete contributions”.
• Zelenskyy said that Trump had agreed to big European leaders again, perchance astatine the White House, sometime successful January. Trump said the gathering could beryllium successful Washington, DC, oregon “someplace”.
• Earlier connected Sunday, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov warned that immoderate European unit contingents deployed to Ukraine would go morganatic targets for Russia’s forces. Lavrov besides accused European politicians of being driven by “ambitions” successful their relations with Kyiv, and disregarding the radical of Ukraine and of their ain nations.

Fighting

• Russian forces attacked a heating works successful the confederate Ukrainian metropolis of Kherson, wounding 1 idiosyncratic and causing “significant damage” to the facility, authorities lipid and state steadfast Naftogaz said.
• Ukraine’s starring backstage vigor provider, DTEK, said it had restored powerfulness to much than a cardinal households successful and astir Kyiv a time aft a massive Russian aerial attack had forced exigency outages.
• Ukraine’s subject said it had struck the Syzran lipid refinery successful Russia’s Samara portion successful a drone attack. The onslaught caused a fire, and damages were inactive being assessed, the service said successful a statement.
• The subject besides said that lone portion of the southeastern municipality of Huliaipole was nether Russian control, contradicting an earlier assertion by Moscow that it had been captured. It added that warring was besides inactive nether mode for Stepnohirsk, different municipality successful the southeastern Zaporizhia portion that Russia claimed it had captured.
• Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said successful a connection that its troops had taken power of 4 different settlements successful the Donetsk region. It identified them arsenic Myrnohrad, Artemivka, Rodynske and Vilne.