Russian forces continued to attack Ukrainian energy and civilian facilities as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced new meetings with Kyiv's European allies later this week to discuss the latest developments in the process aimed at ending the war.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said national-security advisers from the so-called Coalition of the Willing countries would hold a meeting in Ukraine on January 3.
"Shortly after that, discussions will take place at the leaders' level. These meetings are necessary," Zelenskyy added, saying the leaders would meet on January 6.
Zelenskyy welcomed the "readiness" of a US team of negotiators to attend the meeting of the European-led coalition that has pledged to provide a viable postwar security plan for Ukraine.
"I am grateful to President [Donald] Trump's team for their readiness to participate in all effective formats," he said.
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, on December 31 said he had a "productive" phone call with the national-security advisers of Britain, France, and Germany -- Kyiv's main European backers -- to discuss the peace process.
Witkoff said that participants also discussed a Ukrainian "prosperity package" and that Rustem Umerov, Kyiv's main negotiator, was also on the call, along with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.
"We focused on how to move the discussions forward in a practical way on behalf of [Trump's] peace process, including strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not restart," Witkoff wrote on social media.
Meanwhile, Romania and Croatia have announced that they are joining NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements (PURL) initiative, contributing €50 million ($58.6 million) and €15 million ($17.5 million), respectively.
Zelenskyy thanked the two European countries for joining the PURL initiative, calling it an important effort that enables the purchase of US-made weapons and strengthens Ukraine's defense capabilities, including Patriot missiles.
Zelenskyy said that since the launch of the PURL initiative in August, 24 countries have joined, adding that the total amount of contributions has reached $4.3 billion, including nearly $1.5 billion in December alone.
As Kyiv seeks to consolidate support for a 20-point peace plan, Russian forces have continued to attack Ukrainian regions, targeting energy and civilian facilities.
Drone Attacks In Odesa Region
On December 31, regional authorities reported that six people were injured, including three children, as a result of a massive overnight Russian drone attack in the southern Odesa region.
The authorities said the strikes were deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure.
"These strikes are yet another example of the enemy's terrorist tactics, deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure in peaceful cities in the Odesa region, threatening people's lives and health," regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
Ukraine's leading private energy provider, DTEK, said that Russian strikes overnight targeted two of its energy facilities in the Odesa region, causing extensive damage.
"The damage is significant. Restoring the equipment to working condition will take time," DTEK said in a statement.
According to DTEK, Russian forces have attacked 25 energy facilities across the Odesa region since the beginning of the year.
"There was one explosion, and then the blast wave slammed me against the wall," Olha, a resident of Odesa, told RFE/RL.
"I was at home with my dog, and [the blast wave] threw the dog across the room and I saw that a fire had started. Everything happens so fast that people don't even have time to [take shelter]," she added.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drones injured two men, aged 84 and 52, according to the regional authorities.
"Two private houses were destroyed, and six more were damaged. A store and several cars were also affected. The gas pipeline and power line were also hit," the regional governor wrote on Telegram.
Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Russia has carried out more than 4,500 attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, according to government data.
The United Nations has warned that continued strikes on power and heating systems could pose severe humanitarian risks during the winter months, particularly for vulnerable populations, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and families with young children.
Ukraine Strikes Back At Russian Sites
Meanwhile, in Russia, local authorities reported that two people were injured in a drone attack on Russia's Black Sea port of Tuapse.
The strike damaged a port berth, oil refinery equipment, and several homes, according to the local authorities.
Ukraine's General Staff later confirmed the strike and said another oil terminal, on the Taman Peninsula in the Krasnodar region, had also been hit.
Separately, Ukraine's SBU domestic security service on December 31 said long-range drones hit the Temp oil depot in the Russian city of Rybinsk in the Yaroslavl region, sparking a large fire.
The oil depot is a key storage and distribution center in northeastern Russia.
Local authorities have not commented on the report. Ukraine has regularly used drones to hit sites -- often deep inside Russia -- that it says help fuel the Kremlin's war effort.
