Ukraine faked the assassination of Russian opposition leader Denis Kapustin to trick Moscow into paying a $500,000 bounty that funded the war effort.

While Kyiv has reported progress in negotiations, and is accelerating talks in the coming days, major questions remain unresolved about which countries will provide what kind of security for how long.

The CIA has assessed Ukraine was not targeting a residence used by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a recent drone attack in the north of his country, according to US officials, undercutting an assertion the Russian president had made to Trump in a Monday phone call.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his New Year address to the nation, said late Wednesday that Kyiv wanted the war to end, but not at any cost, adding he would not sign a "weak" peace agreement that would only prolong the war.

For Ukraine, regaining control of the plant is not just about undoing an illegal seizure. It is central to the country’s postwar energy independence. Before the war, the plant supplied roughly a quarter of the country’s electricity needs. Its generation capacity would be vital for powering reconstruction efforts, energy experts say.

National security advisers from Europe and other allies visited Kyiv on Saturday to discuss security guarantees and economic support as a U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the nearly 4-year-old war in Ukraine intensifies.

Members of the Brandon Ukrainian-Canadian Association Tryzub sang traditional songs as part of carolling for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said volunteer Julia Krykavska.

If the aim of Vladimir Putin’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy system was to cripple the country’s will to fight, it did not seem to have worked. “I wish Putin would die,” said Alla, an elegant pensioner in a fur hat,