Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky and US to hold peace plan talks today after Trump’s ‘Christmas deadline’

Last week, a maternity hospital in Kherson, which was supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was damaged by an strike.

This latest attack comes amid new UNFPA data which shows the maternal mortality rate has risen by approximately 37 per cent in the past year, as repeated strikes on hospitals force women to give birth in increasingly dangerous conditions.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, more than 80 maternity and neonatal facilities have been damaged or destroyed, among the 2,763 healthcare sites hit nationwide.

Florence Bauer, UNFPA’s Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia said: “These are not abstract statistics – they are people and families living under unbearable stress and reflect a health system under attack. Safe childbirth must be protected even in war, and international humanitarian law is clear: health facilities, health workers and humanitarian access must never be targeted.”

Kherson City Clinical Hospital, the facility struck by artillery fire on 4 December , lies just 1.5 km from active front lines and remains under constant threat from artillery and drone attacks. During the strike, staff and patients sheltered in the bunkerised maternity unit constructed with UNFPA’s support. All personnel and patients were unharmed, and a baby girl was safely delivered during the attack.

Nato soldiers have been passing through Rovaniemi in Finland for training exercises at Rovajärvi, which is Europe’s largest military exercise area.

The region, frequented by tourists hoping to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere, is 55 miles from the Russian border.

Sir Keir Starmer has led tributes to a member of the British armed forces who has been killed in Ukraine.

The prime minister expressed his “deepest sympathy and condolences” for the services member, who died as he watched the testing of a new defensive capability, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The ministry said: “It is with deep regret that we must announce that a member of the UK armed forces died in Ukraine this morning, Tuesday December 9.

“He was injured in a tragic accident while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability away from the front lines.

“The family has been notified and our thoughts are with them at this sad and difficult time.”

Donald Trump has accused European leaders of being “weak” and claimed their countries are “decaying” in an extraordinary attack on Washington’s traditionally closest allies.

The US president claimed European nations had failed to control migration or take decisive action to end the war in Ukraine, calling into question America’s longstanding alliances.

“I think they’re weak,” Trump said in a wide-ranging interview with Politico. “But I also think that they want to be so politically correct. I think they don’t know what to do. What they’re doing with immigration is a disaster.”

James C Reynolds reports:

Ireland’s prime minister Micheal Martin has said that drones that appeared near Dublin shortly after the arrival of President Volodymyr Zelensky were not a threat to the Ukrainian leader.

However, their presence remains concerning, he admitted.

“The drones were not a threat to President Zelensky’s aircraft – that needs to be clear – because it had safely landed quite some time prior to this incident,” he said on Wednesday.

“Circumstances are suggestive of this being part of a Russian-inspired hybrid campaign against European Union and Ukrainian interests,” he added.

Russia denies it is engaging in hybrid warfare.

Lance Corporal George Hooley, a British soldier who died during a Ukrainian military training exercise has been pictured for the first time in an image released by the Ministry of Defence.

His Company Commander said: “If you met George Hooley, you remembered it. His energy and enthusiasm were simply extraordinary. He provided spark that lifted others, a drive that inspired, and a zest for life that reminded us all how to live with purpose and joy.

“And we loved him for it. George had a rare gift: a deep kindness and genuine time for everyone. Whether you were a lifelong friend, a colleague, or someone he had just met, he made you feel valued. He listened – properly listened – and he cared. His door was always open, and his heart even more so.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that China and Russia are intensifying their collaboration as he cited a report of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (UFIS).

“We are tracking a growing trend of the de-sovereignisation of parts of Russian territory in China’s favour – primarily through the use of resource-rich land and the sale of scarce resources to China,” he said on Wednesday.

“We also note that China is taking steps to intensify cooperation with Russia, including in the military-industrial sector.”

China held a third round of joint military drills with Russia last week.

French president Emmanuel Macron has said he has spoken with US president Donald Trump and other colleagues regarding Ukraine.

It follows a discussion between the Coalition of the Willing meeting on Monday, which involved Macron, UK prime minister Keir Starmer, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Leaders of Britain, France and Germany have discussed Ukrainian peace efforts with US president Donald Trump.

“The leaders discussed the latest on the ongoing US-led peace talks, welcoming their efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, and to see an end to the killing,” a spokesperson for Downing Street said on Wednesday.

They agreed it was a critical moment for Ukraine and that work on a peace plan would continue.

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has said that the US must use both incentives and pressure to negotiate with President Alexander Lukashenko.

“You have to understand that for Lukashenko, political prisoners are just bargaining chips. He wants to sell political prisoners as expensively as possible,” Tsikhanouskaya told Reuters on Wednesday.

“It’s like revolving doors at the moment: some are released, twice more are detained. But we need to stop repressions fully.”