Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: Europe security

  • Russia attacks Zelensky’s position ahead of Trump talks as Ukraine plan tightens

    Russia attacks Zelensky’s position ahead of Trump talks as Ukraine plan tightens

    Photo Credit: Vanguard
    2025-12-27 07:07:00

    Reporting by Vanguard suggests Russia is pushing back hard on Kyiv’s approach to a US-led peace framework, accusing Ukraine of trying to derail negotiations as President Volodymyr Zelensky heads into a high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump.

    The emerging proposal is described as a tightened plan meant to freeze fighting around current frontlines while negotiating territory, security guarantees, and sensitive assets tied to the conflict’s endgame.

    Russia’s messaging signals it wants the terms closer to what it has discussed with Washington, while Ukraine insists any freeze must come with credible guarantees and enforcement mechanisms.

    The politics are moving faster than the battlefield narrative: both sides appear to be positioning for leverage just before a potentially defining diplomatic window.

    Reuters quoted Russia’s Sergei Ryabkov saying, “I think that 25 December 2025 will remain in our memory as a turning point,” while The Guardian reported Zelensky described the plan as “90% ready,” but stressed unresolved issues remain.

    Echotitbits take:
    Deals fail when “freeze the lines” becomes “freeze the injustice.” Watch what Trump signals after meeting Zelensky—endorsement, revisions, or a pivot—and whether Russia offers verifiable ceasefire commitments to keep talks credible.

    Source: Vanguard — December 26, 2025 (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/12/russia-lashes-out-at-zelensky-ahead-of-new-trump-meeting-on-ukraine-plan/)
    Vanguard December 26, 2025

  • Russia unleashes huge drone-and-missile barrage on Ukraine as diplomacy accelerates

    Russia unleashes huge drone-and-missile barrage on Ukraine as diplomacy accelerates

    Photo Credit: Reuters
    2025-12-27 07:08:00

    According to Reuters, Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile assault on Ukraine just before Zelensky’s expected meeting with Trump, striking energy and civilian infrastructure as temperatures dropped.

    The report said the attack involved waves of drones and missiles, intensifying pressure on Kyiv and sending a signal about Moscow’s readiness to escalate even as peace discussions gather pace.

    Ukrainian officials linked the barrage to negotiation manoeuvres, arguing that infrastructure targeting is used to shape political outcomes by raising humanitarian costs.

    With diplomacy and warfare now running in parallel, the risk is that any peace framework becomes hostage to real-time battlefield escalations.

    The Washington Post said the assault left “a third of the capital without heating,” while The Guardian reported Zelensky is moving into talks insisting the plan is “90% ready,” but with core territorial issues unresolved.

    Echotitbits take:
    This is coercive bargaining—strike hard, then negotiate from a position of fear. Watch whether talks produce immediate de-escalation steps (like grid-protection commitments) or whether infrastructure attacks continue to force concessions.

    Source: Reuters — December 27, 2025 (https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drones-missiles-pound-ukraine-before-zelenskiy-trump-meeting-2025-12-27/)
    Reuters December 27, 2025