Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Halifax, Canada, December 27, 2025

EA-War on Politics 24 VideoCast: Can Ukraine and Europe Break Putin’s Invasion?

Saturday’s Coverage: Russia Strikes Kyiv Ahead of Zelensky-Trump Meeting

UPDATE 1008 GMT:

Ukraine’s leading private energy provider DTEK has restored power to almost 750,000 households in Kyiv after Russian missile and drone strikes early Saturday.

The attacks, which murdered two people and injured 32, cut electricity and heating to hundreds of thousands of people amid freezing temperatures.

DTEK said residents on Kyiv’s right bank are back on a schedule of planned power cuts, but the situation is “more difficult” on the left bank with emergency outages.

UPDATE 0548 GMT:

Ukrainian drones attacked the Syzran Oil Refinery in the Samara region in southwest Russia overnight.

Residents posted videos of fire trucks heading to the refinery after explosions.

An electrical substation in Syzran was also reportedly targeted. Consumers reported blackouts in the city, with one video purporting to show a direct hit on the facility.

Located around 700 km (430 miles) from the Ukrainian border, the Syzran refinery was also hit three weeks ago. All processing was halted while damage was addressed. In August, the plant needs two weeks of repairs after its CDU-6 crude distillation unit was hit.

The complex, owned by Russia’s largest private firm Rosneft, produced 800,000 tons of gasoline, 1.5 million tons of diesel, and 700,000 tons of fuel oil last year. However, refining this month was well below capacity at around 90,000 barrels per day.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, discussing Ukraine-Europe proposals to end Russia’s 47-month full-scale invasion.

The proposals include provisions for security guarantees, territory, Ukraine’s reconstruction, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest with six reactors. They were developed as a counter to a Kremlin ultimatum in late October, crafted with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, for Ukraine’s surrender of territory, permanent political and military weakness, and US profit from the Ukrainian recovery fund.

Zelensky told journalists on Saturday that the five documents are “90% ready”. Points to be confirmed include the status of the strategic Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex.

The President added on Sunday that the plan for Ukraine’s reconstruction through 2040, “together with the United States”, has been established.

Estimating the cost at “700-800 billion”, Zelensky said there will be a “Ukraine Building Fund, a sovereign investment platform of Ukraine, an Ukraine Development Fund, and a Fund for Ukraine’s Growth and Opportunities”. He also cited plans for development of the US–Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.

Support from Canada

En route to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort near Palm Beach, Zelensky met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Halifax in eastern Canada.

Carney announced another C$2.5 billion ($1.8 billion) in Canadian economic aid. The financial assistance will help unlock financing from the International Monetary Fund.

The Prime Minister referred to Russia’s early-morning missile strikes, which left more than 500,000 residents without power amid freezing conditions: “The attack on Kyiv shows just how important it is that we stand with Ukraine during this difficult time and that we create the conditions for this just and lasting peace and a true reconstruction.”

Zelensky posted:

Moscow has turned down even the proposals for a Christmas ceasefire and is intensifying the brutality of its missile and drone strikes. This is a clear signal of how they truly regard diplomacy there. So far, not seriously enough. Therefore, a sufficient level of support for Ukraine is needed. And a sufficient level of pressure on Russia is needed as well.

Zelensky and Carney subsequently conferred with European partners over “our current progress along the diplomatic track” and “the most important priorities”.