Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the Ukrainian nation on 24 December 2025. Photo: Official website of the President of Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Ukrainian nation on Christmas Eve, striking a hopeful tone while condemning ongoing Russian strikes on the country.
Addressing the nation on Wednesday evening, as Ukraine distances itself from Russian traditions and marks Christmas in line with its western European neighbours, Zelensky recalled the tradition of making a wish at Christmas, saying that while many might think, “May he perish,” referring to Vladimir Putin, most would wish “for peace for Ukraine”.
Using the occasion to remind the world of Russian attacks, Zelensky said: “On the eve of Christmas, the Russians once again showed who they truly are,” referring to the ongoing onslaught against Ukrainian towns and cities. “This is how the godless strike. This is how those who have absolutely nothing in common with Christianity or with anything human act.”
On Tuesday, a mass Russian strike on Ukraine killed three people, including a four-year-old child, and caused widespread power outages across the country.
“But we are holding on. We support one another,” Zelensky continued. “And today, we pray for everyone on the front line, that they return alive. For all those in captivity, that they come home. For all our fallen heroes who defended Ukraine at the cost of their lives.”
Zelensky referred to “the skies over Kyiv and Zakarpattia, Odesa or Kupyansk,” the latter a reference to the embattled town in eastern Ukraine which Russia has recently claimed to have captured amid consistent Ukrainian denials. “Wherever we may be, Ukrainians are together tonight, marking Christmas on the same date, as one big family.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Zelensky had laid out the latest version of a now 20-point draft peace plan on Ukraine, covering a range of issues, including a commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and an unequivocal non-aggression agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
However, a peace deal still appears far off, with Bloomberg reporting on Wednesday that Russia saw the current version of the plan merely as a “starting point”, and would seek “key changes” to it, including more restrictions on the size of Ukraine’s military.
