Over one million households in Ukraine were left without electricity following an overnight barrage of Russian missile and drone strikes targeting energy infrastructure. Officials reported that five regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Chernihiv, were hit, injuring at least five people and igniting fires. The attacks come as winter sets in, intensifying a long-standing Russian campaign to cripple Ukraine’s power grid and deepen humanitarian hardship.
Amid the escalation, US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, is traveling to Germany to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in a renewed push for a negotiated peace. Talks are expected to focus on a revised 20-point peace proposal from Ukraine, which includes controversial provisions such as the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from parts of the Donbas and the creation of a demilitarized “special economic zone.” Zelensky has expressed skepticism, questioning how such an arrangement would prevent Russian advances.
The strikes temporarily cut off external power to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, highlighting the ongoing risks to nuclear safety. Meanwhile, in a sign of the conflict’s spillover, a drone strike in Russia’s Saratov region killed two people in a residential building. The Trump administration is pressing for a deal by Christmas, though significant gaps remain, particularly over territorial disputes and security guarantees.
As diplomacy accelerates, European Union nations have agreed to indefinitely freeze approximately €210 billion in Russian assets, aiming to channel funds toward Ukraine’s reconstruction and military needs. Parallel discussions are also advancing on Ukraine’s potential accelerated accession to the European Union, with one proposal targeting membership as early as 2027. These moves underscore the dual track of military pressure and high-stakes diplomacy shaping the war’s trajectory as winter deepens.
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