US President-elect Donald Trump has said he’ll quickly negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. This has got NATO allies wondering if he’ll withdraw US support for the government in Kyiv and force it to accept a permanent Russian occupation of Ukrainian land.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with Donald Trump on ending the war and that Russian forces were moving towards achieving their primary goals on the battlefield.

Russia should have launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a year-end news conference Thursday.

Moscow and Kyiv have failed to agree on a deal brokered by Azerbaijan to continue Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine, a senior source at the Azeri energy company SOCAR told Reuters on Friday.

Russia and Ukraine have not reached an agreement on the continuation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine to Europe, despite Azerbaijan's mediation efforts. Source: Reuters, citing a senior source in the Azerbaijani energy company SOCAR Details: The EU and Ukraine are said to have asked Azerbaijan to facilitate negotiations with Russia on a gas transit agreement,

Ukraine will not extend the transit agreement for Russian gas through its territory, set to expire on Dec. 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Dec. 19 during a press conference in Brussels.

At least three loud blasts were heard in Kyiv shortly before sunrise. Falling missile debris caused damage and sparked fires in three districts, the city administration said.

The Russian leader had mockingly challenged Ukraine’s Western allies to a missile “duel,” testing their air defenses, during his annual year-end news conference.

Russian authorities say six people have been killed including a child, in a Ukrainian strike in Russia's Kursk region. The region's acting governor added that 10 people were taken to hospital following the attack on the town of Rylsk.