Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is convinced that Russia's war against Ukraine will end in 2025 either through peace talks or the destruction of one of the warring parties.

Andrus Merilo, Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces, believes that Russia, as the aggressor country, has achieved its goal because it has sent a signal to the world about the "normalcy" of occupying the territory of another state.

The New York Times reported that US intelligence believes that Pyongyang was the first to suggest that North Korean troops participate in the war on the side of Russia, not the Kremlin.

The first unit of the Ukrainian Legion, formed in Poland, has already left for Ukraine.

Germany revised the list of military aid to Ukraine on Monday, 23 December, including Leopard 1 A5 tanks, IRIS-T SLM/SLS anti-aircraft missile systems, and Patriot launchers.

A total of 47% of Ukrainians are ready to support Ukraine's accession to NATO if part of the Ukrainian territories remain occupied by Russia, as indicated by the poll.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal has summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires in Lisbon after the Portuguese embassy in Kyiv was damaged during a Russian missile attack on the morning of 20 December.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, speaking on Kossuth radio, has expressed the opinion that Ukraine could still change its decision regarding the "Christmas ceasefire".

Lithuania's new Cabinet of Ministers arrived in Kyiv on Friday, 20 December.

The Bulgarian parliament has refused to approve the signing of a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. Boyko Borissov, former Prime Minister and leader of the GERB party (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria), who had previously supported the initiative, has changed his position.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov has spoken with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto about the options for equipping Ukrainian brigades.

Norwegian NASAMS air defence systems have been deployed in the Polish city of Rzeszów to ensure the security of a logistics hub which is key to supporting Ukraine.

The Pentagon has predicted an increase in casualties among North Korean military personnel who continue to participate in fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has outlined the key components he believes are necessary for Ukraine to be in a strong enough position to start potential negotiations with Russia.

European Union chief diplomat Kaja Kallas has said that Western states should stop offering peace talks to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and instead ensure that their promises of security guarantees to Kyiv are not "hollow".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will ask the European Union to protect several key facilities in Ukraine, but he is also counting on the United States’ support.

Pål Jonson, Sweden's Defence Minister, has not ruled out his country's participation in a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the idea of deploying a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine was discussed during meetings in Brussels.

Following a recent statement by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has no leverage over Russia, Orbán has asserted that he would not respond to provocations.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has said that the draft of the next package of sanctions against Russia is already being prepared.

The Pentagon believes that Ukrainian forces may have killed or wounded "hundreds" of soldiers sent by North Korea to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.

The Pentagon has suggested that the current administration of US President Joe Biden will not have time to spend all the remaining funds under the PDA programme (about US$5.6 billion) that Congress has allocated to send weapons and other military assistance to Ukraine.

The US has had no confirmation regarding the deployment of new North Korean units to Russia but does not rule out such a possibility.

The current US administration is confident that the military assistance already provided or planned to be provided to Kyiv by the end of Joe Biden's presidency will suffice for Ukraine until the end of 2025.

The United Kingdom will not mourn the death of Russian General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, who was killed in a Ukrainian operation in Moscow.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) countries to carry out agreements on the provision of air defence systems in the wake of large-scale Russian strikes.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the United Kingdom wants to ensure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position in 2025.

The US Department of State has said that there have been casualties among North Korea's military in Kursk Oblast and warned that the potential deployment of North Korean soldiers to Ukraine to take part in hostilities would be regarded as an escalation.

US President-elect Donald Trump has stated that his team is working on "ending the war" in Ukraine and has made "a little progress".

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has criticised his EU counterparts for their lack of support for Viktor Orbán's Christmas truce proposal at a foreign ministers' meeting on 16 December.