Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed Ukraine’s peace formula in a call with Pope Francis on Thursday.
“We discussed our joint work to put Ukraine’s Peace Formula into action,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“Over 80 countries are already involved in this process at the level of their representatives. And there will be more of them,” he added.
In the pope’s Christmas Day message, he called for an end to the war in Ukraine, among other conflicts.
Late Thursday, a fire broke out at a building in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, authorities said, after drones were reportedly headed for the area.
“A high-rise building in Odesa was damaged by a downed drone,” Oleh Kiper, the regional governor, said in a Telegram post.
Information about casualties was still being verified, Kiper added, urging city residents to stay in shelters.
Earlier Thursday, Ukraine’s military said that Russian forces attacked overnight using eight drones launched from Russian territory near the Sea of Azov.
The Ukrainian air force said on Telegram that its air defenses shot down seven of the drones over the Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad and Zaporizhzhya regions.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday its forces thwarted an attack by two Ukrainian drones targeting Crimea.
Ukrainian officials also said Thursday a Panama-flagged cargo ship hit a Russian naval mine in the Black Sea.
The incident sparked a fire on the ship and injured two people.
“A Panama-flagged civilian vessel was blown up on an enemy sea mine in the Black Sea,” Ukraine’s southern military command said on Telegram. “The vessel lost its course and control, and a fire broke out on the upper deck.”
There were 18 crew members onboard, including 13 Egyptians, three Ukrainians, and two Turkish citizens, according to Reuters. The incident occurred Wednesday.
Ukrainian officials said the ship was heading to a Danube River port to collect grain.
Zelenskyy said on Thursday in his nightly address that Ukraine’s alternative Black Sea export corridor has so far sent out 12 million metric tons of cargo.
The corridor was introduced after Moscow in July pulled out of a U.N.-negotiated agreement to allow safe transport of Ukrainian grain.
Zelenskyy thanked the United States for a new $250 million aid package, saying Thursday the military assistance will “cover Ukraine’s most pressing needs.”
“To defend freedom and security not only in Ukraine and Europe but also in the United States, we must continue to respond to ongoing Russian aggression in the most forceful and resolute manner possible,” Zelenskyy posted on X.
The Biden administration announced Wednesday the final drawdown of weapons and military equipment for Ukraine from U.S. stockpiles under the existing presidential authorization, with future assistance for Kyiv up to Congress.
The package includes air defense munitions, additional ammunition for High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, 155 mm and 105 mm artillery ammunition, and anti-armor munitions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
“Our assistance has been critical to supporting our Ukrainian partners as they defend their country and their freedom against Russia’s aggression,” Blinken said, adding that the arms and equipment were being provided under previously directed drawdowns for Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said last week that President Joe Biden was planning one more military aid package in December but assistance after that would require an agreement in Congress, where the prospects for a deal are uncertain.
“When that one’s done … we will have no more replenishment authority available to us, and we’re going to need Congress to act without delay,” Kirby said on December 18.
Blinken urged Congress to act swiftly on new aid for Ukraine, “to advance our national security interests by helping Ukraine defend itself and secure its future.”
Zelenskyy was in Washington on December 12 to speak with U.S. lawmakers about Ukraine’s needs. Biden has proposed $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, along with additional military aid for Israel and Taiwan, but the legislation has been stalled by Republican demands that the administration do more to address border security.
Senate leaders said after Zelenskyy’s visit that negotiators were “making encouraging progress” but “challenging issues remain.”
Some material for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.