What has happened in the last hours
On the 305th day of the war started by Russia against Ukraine, these are the key data at 8:00 p.m. this Sunday, December 25:
Putin says he is ready to negotiate while blaming kyiv and its allies for blocking the talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this Sunday that he is ready to negotiate and find a solution to the conflict in Ukraine, which has now been going on for 10 months. “I think we are acting in the right direction, we are defending our national interests, the interests of our citizens. And we have no choice but to protect them”, said the Russian president, on Christmas Day, in an interview on the national public broadcaster. “We are ready to negotiate with all parties involved about acceptable solutions, but it is in your hands. We are not the ones refusing to negotiate, it is them,” added the president, who blamed kyiv for blocking the dialogue.
kyiv maintains that Russia does not want to negotiate, but to evade responsibilities. The adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mikhailo Podoliak, assured this Sunday in a message posted on his Twitter account that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, does not want to negotiate, but rather “avoid responsibilities.” “Putin has to come back to reality. Russia is attacking Ukraine and killing its citizens. There are no other countries, reasons, geopolitical ”, he added.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces say they keep the Bakhmut front under control. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have reported this Sunday that Ukrainian troops are keeping the Bakhmut front, a city located in the Donetsk region (east), under control, despite constant fire from Russia. According to the figures provided by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, more than 50 Russian soldiers have died and some 80 have been wounded in the context of the clashes over Bakhmut, which has become one of the most dangerous points in recent days. hot in the conflict in Ukraine.
The Pope calls for an end to the “senseless war” in Ukraine in his Christmas message. Pope Francis called this Sunday for “the minds of those who have the power to silence weapons to be enlightened” and an immediate end to the “senseless” war in Ukraine, in the Christmas message delivered from the central lodge of the Saint Peter’s Basilica before the Urbi et Orbi blessing. Before the tens of thousands of people gathered in the square and in a message broadcast by Mundovision, the Pope asked to remember “the faces of the Ukrainian brothers and sisters, who live this Christmas in the dark, outdoors or far from their homes , because of the destruction caused by 10 months of war”.
Ukraine says it will receive 1.5 billion euros in aid for its energy sector. The Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denis Shmyhal, estimated this Sunday that his country has received commitments from its international partners worth 1.5 billion dollars (more or less the same amount in euros) to guarantee the supply of energy in the country after the Russian bombardments against its basic infrastructures. In a summary of the year published on his Facebook account, Shmyhal said that more than 200 energy equipment have already arrived in Ukraine and that “more are arriving every day.”
In the photo by Oleg Petriasuk, for Efe, a group sings Christmas carols this Sunday in a kyiv metro station.
