Pope Leo XIV has made a heartfelt global appeal for a Christmas Day truce, expressing profound sadness over Russia's apparent rejection of such a request. Speaking from his residence near Rome on Tuesday, Leo reiterated his call for all people of good will to observe a day of peace, particularly on the feast celebrating the birth of their saviour. Russia has consistently dismissed calls for a ceasefire in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine, arguing that it would only grant a military advantage to Kyiv. The Pope explicitly stated, "Among the things that cause me great sadness is the fact that Russia has apparently rejected a request for a truce," hoping that his message for "24 hours of peace in the whole world" would be heeded.

The grim reality of the conflict continues to unfold, marked by significant military actions and incidents. Two days before Christmas, Ukraine endured a massive Russian drone and missile attack, which tragically claimed three lives, including a four-year-old child, and resulted in widespread power outages across several Ukrainian regions as the country braced for a period of severe cold weather. Local officials reported that Russia launched more than 650 drones and over 30 missiles in an assault that began overnight and persisted into Tuesday morning. In response, Poland scrambled its fighter jets to safeguard its airspace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the timing of the strike on Telegram, stating, "A strike before Christmas, when people want to be with their families, at home, in safety… Putin cannot accept the fact that we must stop killing." Ukraine retaliated by striking Russian oil and gas infrastructure, hitting a petrochemical plant in the Stavropol region of southern Russia, where the regional governor confirmed a fire and footage showed towering flames.

Meanwhile, incidents also occurred within Russian territory. Authorities reported that two police officers were injured in an "incident" in Moscow near the site where a senior Russian general had been killed earlier in the week, with local media indicating an explosion. Russia's Investigative Committee initiated a probe to establish the circumstances of the incident, conducting "medical and explosive examinations" in the cordoned-off area. This followed the killing of Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov on Monday, when a bomb detonated under his car in southern Moscow, an act Russian investigators are examining for possible involvement by Ukrainian special services.

On the front lines, the Ukrainian military announced its withdrawal of troops from Siversk, a town in the heavily contested Donetsk region, after fierce battles. This strategic retreat was made "to preserve the lives of our soldiers and the combat capability of our units," even as fighting continued on the outskirts. Russia had claimed the capture of Siversk almost two weeks prior.

Adding to the concerns, the director of the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine, Sergiy Tarakanov, issued a stark warning that another Russian strike could cause the internal radiation shelter to collapse. He told Agence France-Presse that fully restoring the shelter could take three to four years and emphasized the immediate danger: "If a missile or drone hits it directly, or even falls somewhere nearby – for example, an Iskander [short-range ballistic missile], God forbid – it will cause a mini-earthquake in the area. No one can guarantee that the shelter facility will remain standing after that. That is the main threat."

Amidst these escalations, diplomatic efforts continue, albeit without immediate breakthroughs. Weekend talks in Miami involved Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, along with separate meetings between Russian and Ukrainian representatives. Witkoff described these discussions as "constructive." President Zelenskyy confirmed on Tuesday that he had been briefed on the state of the talks and that "several draft documents have now been prepared," outlining potential paths for ending the war, future security guarantees for Ukraine, and plans for the country's postwar reconstruction.