Waiting game Kyiv urges dealmaker Trump to end Putin's war

A new year in Ukraine began in much the same way as the old one finished: with deadly Russian drone attacks across the country.

- Shaun Walker

It is Ukraine's third new year since Russia's invasion. If 2023 began with hopes high that Ukrainian battlefield gains would push Russia back and lead to victory, by the start of 2024 there were few illusions about a quick victory.

Now 2025 has begun with morale at perhaps its lowest point - and with Donald Trump's presidency on the horizon. Trump has said ending the war is a top international priority, and has appointed retired US general Keith Kellogg as his envoy charged with the task.

Kellogg is expected in Kyiv imminently and is a more welcome choice for Ukraine than other figures in Trump's orbit, who have clear pro-Russian views. Kellogg has already visited Ukraine during wartime and seen first-hand the results of the war. Ukrainian officials believe these visits have often fundamentally altered the views of western politicians on the conflict.