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Ukraine peace accord ‘closer than ever’: Trump says after meeting with Zelensky

By
IFP Media Wire
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Trump stated that a draft agreement to end the war was nearly “95% done”.

“I really think we are closer than ever with both sides,” he said, adding that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, also wants to “see it happen”.

The US president acknowledged there were “one or two tough” outstanding issues, over territory and how the war might end and expressed sympathy with Russia not wanting a ceasefire.

“You have to understand the other side,” he continued.

He also offered to travel to Kyiv to address Ukraine’s parliament ahead of a possible vote on a peace plan, saying he thought this would probably not be necessary.

“You are welcome always,” Zelensky interjected.

Zelensky repeatedly thanked Trump and paid tribute to his US team, including the president’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Despite the positive optics, there were few signs that a genuine agreement was imminent. When asked about the status of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station – occupied since the start of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion – Trump gave a confused answer and said Putin was no longer bombing it.

The meeting took place just hours after Trump held a lengthy phone call with Russia’s president.

“The two leaders want it to end,” Trump said, adding: “I think we can move pretty rapidly. Otherwise it’s going to go on for a very long time.” Trump praised Zelensky, saying: “This gentleman has worked very hard, and is very brave, and his people are very brave.”

He noted: “I do think we have the makings of a deal. We have two willing countries. We are in the final stages of talking.”

Speaking to reporters, the two leaders discussed the latest iteration of a 20-point peace plan and the unresolved question of the future of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Standing next to Trump, Zelensky said US and Ukrainian negotiators had made good progress in recent weeks with “90%” of the draft agreed.

Writing on Truth Social before the meeting, Trump described his one-hour-15-minute call with Putin as “good and very productive”. Asked if Putin was serious about peace, Trump replied: “I think he is.”

There were no signs, however, that Russia was willing to drop any of its maximalist demands. According to Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, Trump “listened carefully” on Sunday to Russia’s assessment of the conflict. Both sides agreed that a ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and Europe would only prolong the fighting “and is fraught with renewed hostilities”, Ushakov added.

Trump greeted Zelensky on the steps of his residence and offered him a businesslike handshake. There was no hug. US officials did not meet Zelensky when he arrived at Palm Beach international airport, in contrast to the red carpet reception given to Putin by an applauding Trump at their summit in August in Alaska.

One former Ukrainian diplomat, Maria Drutska, stated that Putin was trying to “sabotage things” by ringing Trump before he saw Zelensky. During their previous meeting in October in the White House, Trump rowed back on the delivery of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine after a similar call to Moscow.

Putin wants Ukraine to hand over territory in the north of Donetsk oblast that his forces have been unable to capture. Zelensky’s counter-proposal envisages a demilitarised zone, with both sides withdrawing from the line of contact. The plan could be put to a referendum, providing Moscow first agrees to a ceasefire lasting from 60 to 90 days.

But fundamental problems remain, including the issue of security guarantees to prevent Russia from attacking again. Trump has made no military commitment to defend Ukraine. The original 28-point US plan was presented in November after talks with Russia and in effect demanded Ukraine’s capitulation.

Speaking alongside Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, on Saturday in the wake of another large-scale air attack on Kyiv by Russia, Zelensky described the onslaught as “Russia’s answer to our peace efforts”.

The Ukrainian president said to Carney: “We need two things, pressure on Russia and sufficient strong support for Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s capital was hit by more than 500 drones and ballistic missiles across Friday night and Saturday. The 12-hour attack killed four people and left half a million without power. Carney called the bombardment “barbaric”. A “willing Russia” was necessary to create conditions for a just and lasting peace, he added.

Trump declined to condemn the latest strikes on Kyiv and did not acknowledge that Russia – unlike, in his view, Ukraine – had deliberately targeted civilians.

“I believe Ukraine has made some very strong attacks also. I don’t say that negatively. You probably have to,” he stated, speaking outside his estate.

Sunday’s Mar-a-Lago talks were a moment of high risk for Zelensky. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Ukraine’s leader said he “wasn’t afraid” of the mercurial US president because both of them had a democratic mandate.

In February, Trump and the US vice-president, JD Vance, berated Zelensky in a bruising session at the White House. Subsequent meetings have gone better, including at the Vatican in April, and at the White House in October, when Zelensky was flanked by European leaders including Keir Starmer.

Ukrainian officials have worked hard to repair relations with a Russia-leaning White House, while coordinating closely with European allies.

Zelensky added he called Starmer on Sunday, informing him about the frontline situation and the consequences of Russian strikes. Trump said European leaders would join Sunday’s talks through a video conference link from Mar-a-Lago.

The Ukrainian delegation included Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, the first deputy foreign minister, Sergiy Kyslytsya, and Ukraine’s new ambassador to Washington, Olha Stefanishyna. Witkoff and Kushner joined from the US side, as well as the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, Susie Wiles, the president’s chief of staff, and Gen Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff.

Zelensky described the meeting with Trump as a bilateral mostly focused on US-Ukraine issues. Key topics include security guarantees from the US and Europe, the military situation and the sequence for implementing agreements.

Kremlin discloses details of Putin-Trump phone call

By
IFP Media Wire
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Trump and Putin

The two presidents held a “friendly, well-wishing and businesslike” conversation for an hour and 15 minutes, during which they expressed mutual interest in reaching a lasting peaceful settlement in the Ukraine conflict, according to Ushakov.

Putin stressed the need to rely on the understandings reached between the presidents at the summit in Anchorage earlier this year, he added.

Both the Russian and US leaders agreed that a temporary ceasefire as proposed by Ukraine and its European backers “would only prolong the conflict and risk a resumption of hostilities,” according to the Kremlin aide.

Putin agreed to a proposal from Trump to continue the settlement process by forming two “working groups” to tackle security and economic issues, Ushakov said.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that he had a “very productive” conversation with Putin.

The presidents also agreed to talk again after the US leader’s meeting with Zelensky.

On Friday, Zelensky told Axios that he anticipates reaching an agreement on a peace framework during the discussions. The plan would reportedly require Russia to agree to a ceasefire prior to any permanent settlement.

Moscow has long rejected the idea of a temporary ceasefire, maintaining that anything short of a peace deal would allow the Ukrainian military to rearm and regroup.

Earlier this week, Zelensky also revealed his new 20-point peace proposal, which he claimed had been discussed with US officials. Moscow dismissed it as a non-starter, calling it radically different from the plan discussed by Russia and the US.

On Saturday, Putin stated during a meeting with top generals that some “smart people” in the West were offering Kiev “decent” peace terms that included “good framework security guarantees,” an economic recovery scheme, and a roadmap for restoring relations with Russia. However, Kiev is still in “no rush” to settle peacefully despite the favorable terms, he said.

If the Ukrainian authorities eschew a peaceful resolution, Russia will achieve its goals on the battlefield, Putin warned.

 

Mobile phone sellers protest currency volatility in Tehran

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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According to local media reports, the protesters lowered their shop shutters and gathered outside the complex, chanting slogans in support of law enforcement while voicing concerns over recent currency instability.

Some merchants said the rapid and unpredictable rise in exchange rates over recent weeks has made accurate pricing impossible and has disrupted normal business activity.

Shopkeepers noted that constant price changes have undermined trust between sellers and customers.

Many vendors are reluctant to complete sales, while buyers are postponing purchases in hopes of greater market stability.

In recent days and weeks, the foreign exchange rate has risen at an unusually fast pace, directly affecting the mobile phone and digital equipment market.

Some protesters warned that if the situation continues, widespread shop closures and deeper market recession could follow.

Iran confirms successful signal reception from 3 newly launched satellites

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Sattar Hashemi said initial communications were established with the “Zafar-2,” “Paya,” and “Kowsar” satellites shortly after their deployment in space.

Hashemi explained that the simultaneous reception of signals at multiple control centers demonstrates stable communication links and the correct functioning of the satellites’ communication systems.

He noted that receiving the first signal is a critical milestone following a satellite launch.
Hashemi added that success at this stage paves the way for continued technical monitoring, orbital stabilization, and the start of the satellites’ planned missions in the coming phases.

Somali president warns Israel’s recognition of Somaliland ‘threat’ to regional, global security, stability

By
IFP Media Wire
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Friday announcement “is tantamount to a blunt aggression against the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and the unity of the people of the Somali Republic,” Mohamud said.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has for decades pushed for international recognition.

A self-proclaimed republic, it enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own money, passports and army.

But it has been diplomatically isolated since its unilateral declaration of independence.

Somalia’s government and the African Union reacted angrily Friday after Israel’s announcement.

Mogadishu denounced a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty, while Egypt, Turkey, the six-nation Persian Gulf Cooperation Council and the Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation all condemned the decision.

North Korea’s leader oversees cruise missile launch

By
IFP Media Wire
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North Korea Kim

The launch is the latest event attended by Kim in a flurry of activity by the North Korean leader to underscore the country’s military and economic progress ahead of a key ruling party congress expected to be held in early 2026.

Kim expressed “great satisfaction” as the cruise missiles flew along their orbit above the sea west of the Korean Peninsula and hit their target, KCNA said.

Kim stated that “checking the reliability and rapid response of the components of the DPRK’s nuclear deterrent on a regular basis … (is) just a responsible exercise”, as the country “is facing various security threats”, using North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

He affirmed that North Korea would continue devoting all its efforts to the “unlimited” development of its nuclear combat force, KCNA added.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on Monday that its military had detected the launch of multiple cruise missiles at around 8am on Sunday (23:00 Saturday GMT) from the Sunan area near Pyongyang.

A series of military activities by the North in the past week, including ongoing work to build a nuclear-powered submarine, are “activities that undermine peace and stability on the Korean peninsula”, a South Korean defence ministry spokesperson said.

Sunday’s launch followed a KCNA report last week that Kim had observed the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine with his daughter, a possible successor, and oversaw the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles.

North Korea could conduct additional missile tests around New Year’s Day, Yonhap news agency reported, citing a South Korean military official. South Korea’s military declined to comment on the possibility of further launches.

Hong Min, an expert on North Korea at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, stated Sunday’s launch was likely intended to test an upgraded cruise missile capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear weapons.

Kim also attended the opening ceremony of a paper mill on Sunday, KCNA added.

Over the past month, Kim has attended multiple openings of facilities including factories and hotels, as the country races to wrap up its current five-year development plan before convening the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in early 2026.

Security forces kill 2 during Alawite protests in Syria: War monitor

By
IFP Media Wire
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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the two deaths in the coastal city, and a medical source told AFP two bodies had been taken to a local hospital.

Syrian authorities did not confirm opening fire, but said they had “contained the situation” and accused “remnants” of former ruler Bashar al-Assad’s government of attacking security forces.

Thousands of Syrian Alawites gathered in coastal and central parts of the country on Sunday to protest after Friday’s bombing at a mosque in an Alawite area of Homs city that killed eight people.

AFP correspondents in Latakia and the town of Jableh saw security forces intervene to break up clashes between demonstrators and supporters of Syria’s new authorities, firing gunshots in the air.

The Observatory also reported violence in the city of Homs itself, with several injured.

AFP’s correspondent in Latakia said that Syrian forces were later deployed to disperse government supporters.

The attack, which was claimed by a Sunni extremist group known as Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, was only the latest against the religious minority, which has been the target of several episodes of violence since the December 2024 fall of Assad, himself an Alawite.

“Why the killing? Why the assassination? Why the kidnapping? Why these random actions without any deterrent, accountability or oversight?” stated Numeir Ramadan, a 48-year-old trader protesting in Latakia prior to the clashes.

“Assad is gone, and we do not support Assad… Why this killing?”

Sunday’s demonstrations came after calls from prominent spiritual leader Ghazal Ghazal, head of the Islamic Alawite Council in Syria and Abroad, who on Saturday had urged people to “show the world that the Alawite community cannot be humiliated or marginalised”.

“We do not want a civil war, we want political federalism. We do not want your terrorism. We want to determine our own destiny,” he noted, in a video message on Facebook.

Later on Sunday, the council shared a statement on Facebook accusing authorities of attacking “unarmed civilians” demanding their “legitimate rights”, while telling supporters to return home.

Protesters carried pictures of Ghazal along with banners expressing support for him, while chanting calls for the new authorities to allow for decentralised government authority and a degree of regional autonomy.

Placards also called for an end to “sectarian speech”.

“Our first demand is federalism to stop the bloodshed, because Alawite blood is not cheap, and Syrian blood in general is not cheap. We are being killed because we are Alawites,” Hadil Salha, a 40-year-old housewife said.

Most Syrians are Sunni Muslim, and the city of Homs — where Friday’s bombing took place — is home to a Sunni majority but also has several areas that are predominantly Alawite.

The community is otherwise mostly present across their coastal heartland in Latakia and Tartus provinces.

Since Assad’s fall, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor and Homs province residents have reported kidnappings and killings targeting members of the minority community.

The country has seen several bloody flare-ups of sectarian violence.

In March, Syria’s coastal areas saw massacres of Alawite civilians, with authorities accusing armed Assad supporters of sparking the violence by attacking security forces.

A national commission of inquiry said at least 1,426 members of the minority were killed, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor put the toll at more than 1,700.

Late last month, thousands of people demonstrated on the coast to protest fresh attacks targeting Alawites in Homs and other regions.

Before and after the March bloodshed, authorities carried out a massive arrest campaign in predominantly Alawite areas, which are also former Assad strongholds.

On Sunday, protesters also demanded the release of detainees.

On Friday, Syrian state television reported the release of 70 detainees in Latakia “after it was proven that they were not involved in war crimes”, saying more releases would follow.

Despite assurances from Damascus that all Syria’s communities will be protected, the country’s minorities remain wary of their future under the new authorities, who have so far rejected calls for federalism.

 

Demise of Bahram Beyzai loss for Iran’s artistic and cultural community: President Pezeshkian

By
IFP Media Wire
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Masoud Pezeshkian

In a message on Sunday evening, Pezeshkian condoled Beyzai’s family and wished eternal peace for the deceased, describing his death as a loss for the country’s artistic and cultural community.

Praising Beyzai’s ability to combine art with thought, history with myth, and drama with Iranian identity, he said the late artist would remain in the memory of the Iranian nation beyond the theater stage and cinema screen.

The President also referred to cinematic works of Beyzai, calling The Fateful Day a heart-touching screenplay and a valuable part of the intellectual and artistic heritage of Iran.

Beyzai, a towering figure of Iranian cinema, theatre, and letters, died on December 26, 2025, at the age of 87. He is considered a stylish and reputable filmmaker and one of the prominent writers of modern Persian theater.

Beyzai made his directorial debut with Downpour (1972), but his international reputation was firmly established with The Little Stranger (1986). Maybe Some Other Time, Killing Mad Dogs, When Fish Fall in Love, The Travelers, and The Death of Yazdgerd are some of his other notable works.

 

Three Iranian satellites successfully deployed to low earth orbit from Russia’s Vostochny spaceport

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The launch, involving the satellites Zafar-2, Paya, and the second version of Kowsar, was carried out on Sunday at 16:48 local time in Iran, with all three spacecraft accurately inserted into their designated low Earth orbits.

Zafar-2 was designed and built by engineers at Iran’s University of Science and Technology, Paya was produced by the aerospace division of Iran Electronics Industries, and the second version of Kowsar was developed by the Iranian knowledge-based firm OmidFaza.

The three satellites are dedicated Earth-observation platforms intended for imaging and data transmission purposes.

The imagery and data they generate have diverse applications, including forest surveillance, agricultural monitoring, climate change analysis, and the management of natural resources.

In agriculture, detailed data on land conditions, soil moisture levels, crop health, and weather forecasts enable farmers and agricultural authorities to use water, fertilizers, and pesticides more efficiently, predict potential damage from droughts or pests, and price agricultural products more accurately and sustainably.

Ultimately, these capabilities help reduce market price fluctuations while boosting productivity and overall profitability.

Over 700 relatives of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in Gaza: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The syndicate’s Freedoms Committee announced in a report released late on Saturday that Israeli forces are systematically targeting the families of journalists as part of what it called a war aimed at silencing Palestinian reporting.

The report said the attacks represent a deliberate strategy rather than deaths as a result of war.

Israeli violence against journalists has “evolved to take on a more dangerous and brutal dimension, represented by targeting the families and relatives of journalists, in a clear attempt to turn journalistic work into an existential burden for which sons, wives, fathers, and mothers pay the price”, the union added.

Muhammad al-Lahham, head of the Freedoms Committee, said the pattern of attacks from 2023 to 2025 exposes Israel’s intent to crush independent reporting in Gaza.

Targeting journalists’ families, he stated, “reveals that the Israeli occupation is waging a comprehensive war on the truth, making no distinction between the camera and the child, nor between the pen and the home”.

“The blood of the journalists’ families will remain a living witness to the crime of trying to silence the Palestinian voice,” al-Lahham added.

The committee said Israeli forces killed 436 relatives of journalists in 2023, 203 in 2024 and at least 67 this year. The deaths continued even after many families were forcibly displaced and sought shelter in tents and makeshift camps, it said.

The syndicate cited a recent case near Khan Younis, where the bodies of journalist Hiba al-Abadla, her mother and about 15 members of the al-Astal family were recovered nearly two years after Israeli aircraft bombed their home west of the city.

“Hundreds of children, women and the elderly were killed because of a family member’s professional connection to journalism, in flagrant violation of all humanitarian and legal norms,” the committee added.

According to the findings, Israeli attacks have repeatedly struck journalists’ homes, places of displacement and areas known to house media workers and their relatives. In some cases, entire families have been wiped out, leaving journalists alive to bear witness to their annihilation.

The committee described this as a “qualitative shift” in Israel’s behaviour, moving from individual targeting to collective punishment. By turning families into targets, it noted, Israel aims to intimidate society itself and “dry up the environment that nurtures the media”.

Beyond the death toll, the syndicate warned of severe psychological harm. Journalists who survived after losing children, partners or parents now face trauma, family breakdowns and crushing guilt, and many have been forced to flee or suspend their work under the weight of Israel’s continuing violence.

Over the past year, Israel killed several journalists in Gaza in targeted assassinations – most notably Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif – falsely claiming that they are members of Hamas.

They are among nearly 300 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza during the war over 26 months – an average of about 12 journalists a month – according to Shireen.ps, a monitoring website named after Al Jazeera’s veteran correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh. who was killed in the occupied West Bank in 2022.

Media freedom groups have condemned the Israeli attacks on journalists, but the killings have proceeded with impunity. Israel has never arrested or charged any of its soldiers for killing journalists.

While the targeting of the news media has intensified during the war in Gaza, Israel has killed dozens of Arab journalists over the past two decades. In December, a report by Reporters Without Borders found that Israel killed more journalists in 2025 than any other party.

 

 

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