The EU on Friday indefinitely froze Russian assets in Europe so that Hungary and Slovakia, both run by Moscow-friendly governments, cannot prevent any of the roughly €210 billion from being used to support Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine said it had recaptured two settlements in the northern Kharkiv region and pushed Russian troops back in Kupiansk. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our liveblog.
Ukraine would join EU in 2027 under US draft plan
The US plan to end the war in Ukraine envisions Kyiv joining the EU in January 2027, a senior official said, as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensify. FRANCE 24's correspondent in Ukraine reports the latest from Kyiv.
'It's a mistake for Ukraine to make concessions'
"I don't think [US President] Donald Trump is really motivated by US national security interests, or NATO, or Ukrainian interests. I think he wants the Nobel Peace Prize – I think it's been on his mind since the first term," argues former US national security adviser John Bolton in an interview with FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee.
"Putin thinks time is on his side. This is not the time for the US or Europe to give up and say 'let's get the best deal we can'," he adds.
Nine Russian athletes cleared to compete as neutrals in winter sports
Two Russian bobsledders and seven of the country's skeleton racers were granted Individual Neutral Athletes status by the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation on Friday, allowing them to compete in IBSF events.
Liubov Chernykh and Sofiia Stepushkina were named to the AIN list for bobsleigh, while Viktoriia Fettel, Alena Frolova, Polina Kniazeva, Daniil Romanov, Vladislav Semenov, Polina Tiurina and Ermei Zykov were included for skeleton.
Three officials, one medical doctor and five coaches/technicians were also added to the AIN list.
IBSF published in a statement the "list of athletes and support personnel of Russian nationality who have been granted the status of AIN and, therefore, are cleared to participate in certain IBSF events (Women's Monobob, Women's Skeleton, Men's Skeleton)."
The development comes after the IBSF Appeals Tribunal partially lifted the ban on Russian athletes in October.
Europeans demand 'security guarantees' from US before Ukraine territorial concessions, Elysée says
Europeans and Ukrainians are asking the United States to provide them with "security guarantees" before any territorial negotiations in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, the French presidency said on Friday.
"We need full visibility on the security guarantees that Europeans and Americans can give to Ukrainians before any settlement on contentious territorial issues," the Elysee said ahead of a Monday meeting in Berlin with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, other European leaders, and the heads of the EU and NATO.
Ukrainian drones hit two Russian oil rigs in Caspian Sea, security source says
Ukrainian drones struck two Russian oil rigs in the Caspian Sea, an official in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Friday.
The source said SBU drones hit the Filanovsky and Korchagin oil rigs, which both belong to Russia’s Lukoil.
The Filanovsky rig came under attack earlier this week. It was the first Ukrainian drone attack on Russian oil infrastructure in the Caspian Sea during the war.
Russian court sentences ICC judges
Russia sentenced top International Criminal Court (ICC) judges and its chief prosecutor to jail terms in their absence, in a retaliatory move after the court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war.
In 2023, prosecutor Karim Khan charged Putin with illegally deporting children from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. Moscow responded by opening a case against him.
Khan, 55, is now suspended from duties over an internal probe following sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.
The Moscow city court found that "ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan unlawfully prosecuted Russian citizens in The Hague" and that the ICC "instructed the judges of the chamber to issue patently unlawful arrest warrants".
Russia is not a member of the ICC.
EU governments agree to indefinitely freeze Russian central bank assets held in Europe
The European Union on Friday indefinitely froze Russia’s assets in Europe to ensure that Hungary and Slovakia, both run by Moscow-friendly governments, can’t prevent the billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine.
Using a special procedure meant for economic emergencies, the EU blocked the assets until Russia gives up its war on Ukraine and compensates its neighbour for the heavy damage it has inflicted for almost four years.
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.”
The move also prevents the assets, estimated to total around €210 billion ($247 billion), from being used in any negotiations to end the war without European approval.
Ukraine's military says it hit major oil refinery in Russia's Yaroslavl
Ukraine's military said on Friday it had struck a major oil refinery in Russia's Yaroslavl region,
northeast of Moscow. triggering a fire.
"Units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces have struck the capacity of the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Russia's Yaroslavl region," the military's General Staff wrote on Facebook.
"Explosions and a large fire were recorded in the area of the target. The extent of the damage is being determined."
Google faces $129 million French asset freeze after Russian ruling
The administrator of Google's defunct Russian business has obtained a temporary freeze on some 110 million euros ($129 million) of the Alphabet-owned company's assets in France, official orders seen by Reuters show.
The move represents a rare attempt by Russian authorities to use legal channels to target assets of western companies overseas, amid rising tensions over the potential use of seized Russian assets in Europe.
Russian attack damaged three Turkish-owned vessels in Ukraine, navy says
A Russian attack damaged a total of three Turkish-owned vessels in the southern Odesa region ports on Friday, the Ukrainian navy's spokesperson told Reuters.
Turkish ferry damaged in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa port
A Turkish ferry has been damaged in a Russian air strike on Ukraine's Black Sea port city of Odesa, a Ukrainian minister.
"Russia launched a missile strike on civilian port infrastructure in the Odesa region," Ukraine's Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram, adding: "A ferry flying the Turkish flag was damaged in the Black Sea port, with no casualties reported."
How Russia is shipping liquefied natural gas to China
A cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia's Portovaya plant was delivered to the Beihai terminal in China on December 8. This marks the first delivery since the facility was placed under US sanctions in January 2025. The development highlights deepening China-Russia energy ties as Moscow seeks to increase its LNG exports and secure revenue to fund its war in Ukraine.
Zelensky to meet European leaders in Berlin Monday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Berlin on Monday and meet European leaders as well as the heads of the EU and NATO, German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said.
Zelensky will attend a German-Ukrainian business forum and discuss "the status of peace negotiations in Ukraine" with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Kornelius said.
"In the evening, numerous European heads of state and government, as well as the leaders of the EU and NATO, will join the talks."
Ukraine and US hold new talks on reconstruction, Ukraine's PM says
Ukraine and the U.S. held a new round of talks on reconstruction, Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on social media on Friday.
Svyrydenko said the meeting was attended from the US side by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, as well as World Bank chief Ajay Banga and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.
Svyrydenko said a working group had been created to formulate a "plan of action" in the near future.
Turkish-owned cargo ship hit by missile at Ukrainian port, no casualties reported
A Turkish-owned cargo vessel was damaged by a suspected missile attack at Ukraine's Chornomorsk port on Friday, its operator Cenk Denizcilik said in a statement.
The company said the roll-on/roll-off vessel M/V CENK T, which operates between Turkey’s Karasu and Ukraine’s Odesa, was hit shortly after docking, igniting a fire that tugboats and port firefighting teams later worked to contain.
Zelensky speaks from the frontline town of Kupiansk
"I visited our troops and congratulated them. Thank you to each and every warrior! I am proud of you!", said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on a video posted on X near the frontline town of Kupiansk.
Russia says seven wounded northwest of Moscow after Ukrainian attack
Ukrainian drone debris triggered a fire in an apartment block northwest of Moscow, wounding seven people, Russian authorities said.
The nighttime attack at Tver, a city some 180 kilometres (110 miles) from the Russian capital, came amid a heightened drone campaign by Ukraine as peace efforts drag on.
Drones hit primary processing unit at Russia's Yaroslavl oil refinery
Ukrainian drones damaged a primary processing unit and a loading rack at Russia's
fourth-largest oil refinery, Slavneft-YANOS, in the city of Yaroslavl, three industry sources said on Friday, adding that the refinery suspended output.
Bulk carrier Cenk T damaged in Russian attack on Ukraine's south
The Cenk T civilian bulk carrier was damaged on Friday during a Russian attack while it was visiting the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk in the southern Odesa region, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Ukraine has submitted a detailed counterproposal to the US peace plan, taking time to carefully review and refine their response.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged sports bodies to fully reintegrate Russian and Belarusian athletes into junior competitions and allow them to compete with their national flag and anthem.
The US is pushing for a demilitarised "free economic zone" between Russian and Ukrainian troops in the east of the country as part of a settlement to end the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.
