Ukraine must have "robust security guarantees" before any talks on whether Kyiv will cede territory to Moscow to end the war, French President Emmanuel Macron's team said Tuesday. European leaders met to launch an International Claims Commission to compensate Kyiv for hundreds of billions of dollars in damage from Russian attacks and alleged war crimes. Follow our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This liveblog is no longer being updated.
This liveblog is no longer being updated. You can follow our coverage of the Ukraine war here.
Russia's energy ally Hungary signs US gas deal
Hungary has announced a five-year gas supply contract with US company Chevron, but it will still rely heavily on Russia for energy.
The central European country has remained the Kremlin's closest partner in the EU despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has resisted calls to reduce its energy dependency on Moscow.
The deal between Chevron and Hungary's state electricity company MVM foresees the annual delivery of 400 million cubic metres of liquified natural gas five years, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told a media briefing.
MVM has in recent months signed contracts with Shell of Britain, France's Engie and Azerbaijani concern SOCAR. Together with the Chevron deal, they would enable Hungary to bring in 1.4 billion cubic metres of gas annually from non-Russian sources.
But Hungary's 15-year supply contract with Russia's Gazprom allows for 4.5 billion cubic meters a year through 2036. Additional supply agreements also have been made in recent years.
Defending EU's eastern flank a priority, eight EU leaders say
Russia is the most significant, direct and long-term threat to security, peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Lithuania said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
Leaders of the eight European Union countries met in Helsinki to discuss defence of the EU's eastern flank.
"The situation calls for an immediate prioritisation of the EU's eastern flank through a coordinated and multi-domain operational approach," a final declaration signed by the leaders said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Ukraine faces difficulties in meeting its financial needs and an EU decision to use frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv was crucial.
Speaking in The Hague during a joint press conference with acting Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Zelensky said that using the Russian frozen assets would help Kyiv to balance out a decrease in support from some of its partners.
"I do not see an opportunity to stand strong without this support," Zelensky told reporters.
The EU wants to tap part of the roughly 210 billion euros ($246.96 billion) worth of Russian central bank
assets frozen in Europe after Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022 to back a loan for Kyiv's military and civilian needs.
Some member states such as Belgium – where the Euroclear depository holding most of the total assets frozen in Europe is based – have expressed unease at the plan.
Ukraine and 34 other countries approve compensation body for damages from Russia's invasion
Zelensky and 34 countries formally approved plans Tuesday to create a compensation body to pay for damages to Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion, but questions remain about where the money will come from.
Zelensky told leaders gathered in the Dutch city of The Hague that he hopes for strong international support so "any damage caused by the war can be compensated.”
The Council of Europe, the continent’s preeminent human rights organization, has facilitated the International Claims Commission, which will allow Ukrainians to seek compensation for “damage, loss or injury” caused by Russia since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
The Council of Europe is adamant that Russia must foot the bill, but there is no clear pathway for forcing Moscow to pay. One proposal is to use some of the tens of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets held in Europe.
“The aggressor must pay,” Zelensky told the Dutch parliament earlier Tuesday.
UK pledges $805 million for air-defence systems to help Ukraine through winter
Britain has pledged 600 million pounds ($805 million) in air-defence capabilities to support Ukraine, including advanced turret systems designed to shoot down Russian drones, as Kyiv braces for winter attacks on its energy network.
Defence minister John Healey said the air defence investment "is critical help to Ukrainians as they defend their towns, cities and energy infrastructure from Russia's barbaric attacks."
'No impunity' for Russia when peace in Ukraine is achieved, Netherlands says
Justice must be allowed to take its course in Ukraine when peace has been achieved, acting Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof has said.
"A just and lasting peace requires that Russia compensate Ukraine for the damage it has inflicted," Schoof said at a conference in The Hague where an International Claims Commission for Ukraine was established. "There must be no impunity."
Zelensky says Russia must be held responsible for 'crime of aggression'
Zelensky has said that Russia must be held responsible for the "crime of aggression".
The Ukrainian President was speaking in The Hague ahead of a conference to establish an International Claims Commission for Ukraine, which will validate claims of war damages to be repaid by Russia.
Kremlin says Christmas ceasefire proposed by Ukraine depends on reaching peace deal
The Kremlin has said that a Christmas truce that Ukraine has proposed would depend on whether a peace deal is reached or not.
Russia does not want a ceasefire that would allow Kyiv to prepare for further fighting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
He added that Moscow had not yet seen details of proposals on NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine that US and European officials said Washington has offered to provide.
Ukraine's Kyivstar buys solar power plant to bolster network resilience
Ukraine's Kyivstar said it has acquired solar power company Sunvin 11, as the mobile operator steps up energy investments to keep its network online amid Russian attacks on the country's grid.
Kyivstar, Ukraine's biggest mobile operator which also provides digital healthcare and entertainment services, has been adding backup capacity and alternative connectivity options amid Russia's strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
In November, it started offering Starlink's direct-to-cell SMS service to support customers in remote areas and during blackouts. The company also has thousands of stationary power generators connected to its network.
Russia takes control of village of Novoplatonivka in eastern Ukraine, defence ministry says
Russian forces captured the village of Novoplatonivka in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.
Sweden's prime minister says progress was made on Ukraine security guarantees at Berlin talks
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said that significant progress was achieved regarding security guarantees for Ukraine during talks held in Berlin on Monday.
Blackouts continue for thousands in Ukraine's Odesa region after Russian attacks, governor says
More than 280,000 households are still without power in Ukraine's southern port region of Odesa after recent Russian attacks, the regional governor said on Tuesday.
The region experienced one of the most severe Russian attacks on the power grid of the war over the weekend.
Oleh Kiper added that during the last three days power had been restored for nearly 330,000 households in the region.
Russia rules out territorial concessions in talks on Ukraine, state media reports
Russia is not willing to make any territorial concessions in talks on ending the Ukraine war, state news agency TASS quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Tuesday.
It said Ryabkov was talking about the Donbas, Crimea and the swathe of land that Moscow calls "Novorossiya".
Russia has no understanding of Berlin agreements on Ukraine, deputy FM says
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow has no understanding yet of the agreements reached by the United States, Ukraine and the European Union in Berlin, Russian news agencies reported.
Leaders of 10 European countries as well as EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen met in Berlin on Monday to back up talks between US and Ukraine.
Russia claims to control key Ukrainian city of Kupiansk
Russia said it was in control of the key city of Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine, the scene of intense fighting in recent weeks.
"The city of Kupiansk is under the control of the Fifth Russian Army," Leonid Sharov, head of the Zapad group of troops, told state news agency TASS, after Russia claimed to have captured the city in November – followed by Ukraine saying it had reclaimed parts of it.
France demands 'robust' guarantees for Ukraine before talks on territory
France wants "robust security guarantees" for Ukraine before any discussions on Kyiv ceding territory to Moscow to end Russia's war, President Emmanuel Macron's team has said.
"We want robust security guarantees first before any discussions on territory. We've made progress on the issue of guarantees ... thanks to a clarification on the form of US support," said an adviser to Macron, after Zelensky held talks with US envoys and European leaders in Berlin aimed at reaching a deal to end the nearly four-year-old war.
Ukraine will ask US for long-range weapons if Russia rejects peace effort, Zelensky says
Ukraine will ask the US for more sanctions pressure on Russia and additional weapons, including long-range, if Moscow rejects diplomatic efforts to end the war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.
Kyiv supports the idea of a ceasefire, in particular for energy strikes, during the Christmas period, he told reporters in a WhatsApp chat.
Russia's air defence units destroy drone flying towards Moscow, mayor says
Russia's air defence units destroyed a drone flying towards Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app.
"Emergency services are working at the site where the debris fell," Sobyanin said.
US President Donald Trump has said a deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine was closer than ever, after he spoke to Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and a host of European leaders.
European leaders say they have agreed that any decisions on potential Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia could only be made once robust security guarantees were in place which should include a European-led multinational force.
A German drone maker and a Ukrainian defence tech start-up announced Monday they are forming a joint venture to mass-produce unmanned aerial vehicles for the Ukrainian military.
