Ukraine, EU and G7 consider stopping Russian oil by sea. Von der Leyen: 'On Russian assets all share risk'

Any final US decision will depend on the pressure tactics President Donald Trump's administration will pursue in the context of the ongoing peace talks it is mediating between Ukraine and Russia, sources say. While the G7 and the EU have almost completely cut Russian oil imports since 2022, the new measure would mark the closest point to a total ban on Russian crude and fuel trade, not only in imports, but also in transport and maritime services.

Four unidentified drones violated the no-fly zone imposed over Dublin for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Irish newspaper The Journal reported, pointing out that the police had opened an investigation.

The breach occurred shortly after the Ukrainian president's plane landed - slightly ahead of schedule - and the drones occupied exactly the position the aircraft would have occupied according to the originally planned flight time.

The police are investigating to ascertain where the drones took off from; it is unclear whether they came from an area northeast of the Irish capital or from a ship that remained undetected by radar. The fact that they had their navigation lights on would suggest that their purpose was simply to disrupt the landing of the presidential plane; according to The Journal, it is unclear whether the Irish authorities immediately informed the Ukrainian delegation of the incident.

The Russian ambassador to Berlin, Serguei Netchaiev, warned that using Russian sovereign assets frozen in Europe to finance Ukraine would have 'considerable consequences' for the European Union. The statement comes as the German Chancellor and the Belgian Prime Minister prepare to discuss the issue.

In a statement sent to the French media, Netchaiev said: 'Any transaction with Russia's sovereign assets without Russia's agreement would be theft. And it is clear that the theft of Russian state funds will have far-reaching consequences'.

Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Rustem Umerov and Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Andriy Gnatov are scheduled to meet with US President's Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami today. Ukrainska Pravda reports this, citing its sources.

The US has put pressure on several EU countries in an attempt to block plans to use frozen Russian assets to support a massive loan to Ukraine. Bloomberg reports. US officials have argued before member states that such assets are needed to secure a peace deal between Kiev and Moscow and should not be used to prolong the war, said diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The news comes a day after it was announced that the US had suspended some sanctions on Russia's Lukoil.

The war in Ukraine was also discussed in Beijing. China and France, on Ukraine, "support efforts on ceasefire and peace restoration based on international law, truth and principles of the UN Charter". The Joint Statement on the situation in Ukraine and Palestine, released after Thursday's talks in Beijing between Presidents Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron, emphasises the two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, in the Middle East. The parties, "permanent members of the UN Security Council, are committed to seeking "peaceful" and "constructive solutions based on international law" against challenges and threats "to international security and stability".

French President Macron reportedly warned European leaders and Volodymyr Zelensky of the risk of a possible US 'betrayal' of Ukraine 'on the issue of territories, in the absence of clear security guarantees'. This was revealed by the German weekly Der Spiegel, which claims to have obtained written notes on the video-call, which was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders, including Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. According to the reconstruction, Macron described the current stage of the negotiations as a moment of 'great danger' for Zelensky. However, the Elysée has disputed the sentences attributed to the French head of state, denying that he spoke in the terms reported by the weekly.

US President Donald Trump, during his speech at the lighting of the Christmas tree in Washington, said: 'We are bringing peace around the world. We are solving wars to levels never seen before. Eight. We're looking for one more, the one between Russia and Ukraine, if possible, and I think we'll get there eventually." He continued: "Last week, 8,000 soldiers were killed. Last month, they needlessly killed 27,000. We have to stop this, we are working hard on it'.

Cautious optimism also from JD Vance. On the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and the chances of an agreement, 'I think, for what it's worth, we have made a lot of progress, but we haven't crossed the finish line yet. I think there is hope: hopefully we will get good news on that front in the next few weeks'. Thus the Vice President of the United States in an interview with Nbc News. 'The Russia-Ukraine issue has been a perennial source of frustration, I think, for the entire White House,' Vance added.

Availability from Ukraine. "Ukrainian representatives will continue their talks in the US with President Trump's team. Our task now is to get full information about what was said in Russia and the other pretexts devised by Putin to prolong the war and put pressure on Ukraine - to put pressure on us, on our independence." Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky writes this on his Telegram channel. "Ukraine is prepared for any possible development and, of course, we will work as constructively as possible with all our partners to ensure that peace is achieved - and that it is, after all, a decent peace. Only a decent peace guarantees real security, and we fully understand that this requires - and will continue to require - the support of our partners."

On the battlefield Moscow gives its news: Russian air defence systems destroyed 44 Ukrainian drones flown over Russian regions between 8pm and 11pm Moscow time. This was reported by the Russian Defence Ministry, quoted by Tass. Specifically, 30 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones were shot down over the Kursk region, eight over the Rostov region, three over the Belgorod region, two over the Voronezh region, and one over the Bryansk region.