CloseThe European Union on Friday decided to indefinitely freeze €210bn worth of Russia’s assets, so that Hungary and Slovakia, two countries with friendly relations with Moscow, cannot prevent billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine.
Hungary and Slovakia have opposed providing more support to Ukraine in the past, but today’s decision prevents them from blocking the sanctions rollover and makes it easier to use the assets.
The move also stops the assets, estimated to total around 210 billion euros ($247 billion), from being used in any negotiations to end the war without European approval.
EU Council President António Costa said European leaders had committed in October “to keep Russian assets immobilised until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates for the damage caused. Today we delivered on that commitment.”
A 28-point plan drafted by US and Russian envoys stipulated that the EU would release the frozen assets for use by Ukraine, Russia and the United States. That plan, which surfaced last month, was rejected by Ukraine and its backers in Europe.
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Zelenskyy will hold urgent talks with 30 countries as Trump pushes for swift peace deal with Russia
Trump's envoy Witkoff to travel to Berlin to meet with Zelensky and European leaders
US envoy Steve Witkoff and president Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Berlin this weekend, a US official briefed on the matter said.
Witkoff will also meet with his counterparts from France, Britain and Germany tomorrow and on Monday, the official added.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report the meeting.
The choice to send Witkoff, who has led negotiations with Ukraine and Russia regarding a US peace proposal, highlights Washington's growing urgency to bridge remaining gaps with Kyiv over the plan's terms.
French president Emmanuel Macron, UK prime minister Keir Starmer and German chancellor Friedrich Merz were also expected to attend, the WSJ said.
On Thursday, the White House said Trump would only send an official to the meeting if he felt there was enough progress to be made in peace talks.
Arpan Rai13 December 2025 02:54
Ukraine to join EU by 2027 under draft peace proposal, according to reports
A peace proposal presented as part of US-mediated discussions on the Russia-Ukraine conflict could see Ukraine slated to join the European Union by 1 January 2027, according to the Financial Times.
The proposal is being negotiated between US and Ukrainian officials with the help of the EU, according to sources briefed with the document’s contents.
Shaheena Uddin13 December 2025 02:00
Watch: Trump says US will attend Ukraine peace talks with Europe
Shaheena Uddin13 December 2025 01:00
Russian luge team plans to participate in World Cup race next week despite Ukraine's objections
Six Russian athletes from their nation’s luge team are planning to participate in the World Cup in Lake Placid, New York next week. This move comes despite Ukrainians strongly objecting.
They have told the International Luge Federation that they have obtained their visas to travel to the US.
They hope to qualify for the Milan Cortina Olympics coming up in February.
However, Russia is not racing at this weekend’s World cup luge competition, despite some claims that they would participate.
Russia has not competed in a World cup luge race since the war began nearly four years ago.
Two bobsledders and seven skeleton sliders from Russia have also been cleared by their sports federations to compete soon too in a list that was published on Friday.
Shaheena Uddin13 December 2025 00:00
Russian police and National Guard will remain in Ukraine's Donbas postwar
A senior Kremlin official has reported on Friday that Russian police and National Guard wil remain in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region in order to oversee the industry-rich area, even if a peace settlement ends the nearly four-year long war in Ukraine.
The comments come from Yuri Ushakov and showcase Moscow's ambition to maintain its presence in Donbas post-war. Ukraine is likely to reject such a stance as U.S.-led negotiations continue.
Shaheena Uddin12 December 2025 23:00
Ukraine hits Russian oil infrastructure for second time in the Caspian sea
Ukrainian drones have struck two Russian oil rigs in the Caspian Sea, according to a UkrainianSecurity Service official on Friday.
The SBU drones reportedly hit the Filanovsky and Korchagin oil rigs, which both belong to Russia’s Lukoil LKOH.MM.
Earlier this week, part of Russia’s largest Caspian oil field, the Filanovsky rig came under attack. This was the first attack during the war as Ukraine escalates its efforts to disrupt Russian oil and gas output.
The drones damaged critical equipment and suspended production, according to preliminary information from the source.
Shaheena Uddin12 December 2025 22:45
Turkey warns of Black Sea escalation after Turkish ship damaged in Ukraine
Turkey called for an urgent end to the nearly four-year long war between Russia and Ukraine after a Turkish-owned cargo vessel was damaged in an attack on Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port. They said the incident posed risks to the Black Sea maritime security.
The country’s capital, Ankara, called for a suspension of attack targeting navigation safety “to prevent escalation” in the region.
Cenk Denizcilik, operator of the roll-on/roll-off vessel M/V CENK T, said the ship, carrying food supplies, was hit by an air attack shortly after berthing at around 1600 local time, igniting a fire in its forward section.
Shaheena Uddin12 December 2025 22:25
Pictured: Destroyed residential buildings behind a church in Kostyantynivka
Daniel Keane12 December 2025 22:00
Ukraine, US and Europe still seeking common ground in peace talks
Ukraine, the US and Europe are still looking to iron out the details of a peace deal which will include guarantees for Kyiv, to take to Russia, according to a French presidency official on Friday.
"Our goal is to have a common foundation that is solid for negotiation. This common ground must unite Ukrainians, Americans and Europeans," the official told reporters in a briefing.
"It should allow us, together, to make a negotiating offer, a solid, lasting peace offer that respects international law and Ukraine’s sovereign interests, an offer that American negotiators are willing to bring to the Russians."
No joint document has been signed yet but negotiations will continue in the coming days.
Currently Kyiv is under pressure from the Trump administration to accept a quick peace, but Ukraine is pushing back on giving up swathes of territory to Moscow or abandoning its ambition to become a part of NATO.
Shaheena Uddin12 December 2025 21:55
How does the Russian army compare with Nato?
The Russian army has swollen to a mammoth 1.32 million active personnel over the course of the war, despite sustaining heavy losses on the battlefield. That figure eclipses any standing army on the continent.
War has allowed Putin to legislate for three expansions of his army since 2022. He aims to build the second biggest army in the world, after China, with a regular army of 1.5 million, up to 2.38 million including reserves.
Together, Nato can field 3.14 million active personnel and 2.75 million reserves, totalling 5.89 million personnel.
The bloc has more than 14,000 tanks and around 21,000 aircraft.
Russia can currently draw on around 2 million reserves, totalling around 3.32 million. It has some 12,000 tanks and nearly 4,500 aircraft. Both sides have nuclear weapons.
