Morning Briefing: Dec. 29, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including US President Donald Trump saying "a lot of progress" was made toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump holding a phone call with Zelenskyy and European leaders which addressed "concrete steps" to end the war, and the Arab League urging the UN Security Council to take a firm stance against Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.

TOP STORIES

• Trump says 'a lot of progress' made on ending Russia-Ukraine war after Zelenskyy meeting

US President Donald Trump said significant progress was made toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"We covered somebody would say 95%. I don't know what percent, but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war, which is really certainly the most deadly war since World War Two, probably the biggest war since World War Two," Trump said.

Trump said the remaining parts of the peace plan could be agreed on in "a few weeks" if work goes "really well."

• Trump, Zelenskyy, European leaders discuss 'concrete steps' to end Russia-Ukraine war in phone call

US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders held a phone call to discuss "concrete steps" to end the Russia-Ukraine war, said Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

The call, which lasted more than an hour following a meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy, included French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Stubb said on the US social media company X’s platform.

"We discussed concrete steps how to end the war. We are all working towards a just and lasting peace," he wrote.

• Arab League calls on UN Security Council to take firm stance against Israel’s recognition of Somaliland

The Arab League called on the UN Security Council to take a firm stance against Israel’s “illegal” recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland, warning the move threatens international peace and security.

The appeal came in a final statement issued by the pan-Arab body after an emergency meeting in Cairo held at the level of permanent delegates upon Somalia’s request and backed by several member states.

According to the statement, the meeting “strongly condemned Israel’s recognition of the northwestern Somali region known as Somaliland,” saying the move aims to advance unacceptable political, security and economic agendas.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (​​IAEA) announced the start of repairs near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) amid a local ceasefire brokered by the UN nuclear watchdog.
• Poland has announced plans to complete new anti-drone fortifications along its eastern border within the next two years, amid what officials say are repeated incursions by Russian drones into Polish airspace.
• Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) said it is getting closer to declaring an independent state in the south.
• The UK has signed a £52 million ($70 million) contract with Germany to secure a new generation of mobile artillery capable of firing while on the move and striking targets up to 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) away.
• Syrian authorities said a “terrorist cell” member was apprehended in the northwestern province of Latakia.
• Voting opened in the Central African Republic’s general election, in which incumbent President Faustin-Archange Touadera is seeking a third term in office.
• A Democratic member of the US House Judiciary Committee said Congress should consider forcing Justice Department officials to testify publicly over delays in releasing documents linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
• One person was killed and another critically injured after two helicopters collided in the US state of New Jersey, authorities said.
• The main shooter and his accomplice in the killing of Bangladeshi political activist Sharif Osman Bin Hadi fled to India, Dhaka police said, claiming Indian police arrested two people for allegedly assisting their border crossing.
• The East African Community (EAC) reaffirmed its recognition of Somalia as a single sovereign state, underscoring its commitment to the country’s unity and territorial integrity.
• The prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) voiced support for Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent remarks, stressing that a fair, lasting and realistic solution on the island is possible only based on two sovereign states.
• At least 13 people were killed and 98 injured after the Interoceanic Train derailed in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca, authorities said.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Turkish unmanned fighter KIZILELMA achieves world 1st autonomous close-formation flight

Turkish defense company Baykar announced that two prototypes of its Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned combat aircraft have successfully carried out the world’s first fully autonomous close-formation flight by jet-powered drones.

Baykar is integrating new capabilities into its development process.

The test marked a major milestone in global aviation, as no other country has publicly demonstrated autonomous close-formation flying by unmanned fighter-class aircraft.