With the majority of Christians celebrating Christmas today, Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful to pray "for the tormented people of Ukraine."
"May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue," he added, calling for "the clamor of weapons" to cease.
His appeal comes just a day after details on a new peace plan were revealed to the public, with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Kyiv and Washington were united behind the proposal. On Thursday, Moscow said it was analyzing documents on the suggested deal.
The question of territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine remains unresolved in the 20-point peace plan presented by Volodymyr President Zelenskyy, and Russia has given no indication it was willing to withdraw from the area.
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In a rare public move, the Kremlin said they had contacts with France regarding Laurent Vinatier, a French national currently serving a three-year sentence in Russia.
Vinatier, previously a researcher with a Swiss conflict mediation NGO, had been jailed in mid-2024. He was convicted for failing to register as a "foreign agent" under Russia's draconian law aiming to curb foreign influence, and is now facing charges of espionage.
"Indeed, a proposal was made to the French regarding Vinatier," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"The ball is now in France's court," he added, without providing details.
Separately, the lawyer for Vinatier's family said his family hopes that the researcher could be freed during the holiday season, including Orthodox Christmas most Russian celebrate on January 7th.
"We have every confidence in French diplomacy, which is doing its utmost," the lawyer said.
As Russian strikes continue, Ukrainians remain skeptical about Russian aggression ending anytime soon. DW reports from Kyiv on the Christmas mood and what a US-proposed demilitarized "free economic zone" could mean for eastern Ukraine.
For the second time this week, Poland scrambled jets in response to a potential threat to its air space amid the fighting in Ukraine.
"Polish fighter jets intercepted, visually identified, and escorted a Russian Federation reconnaissance aircraft out of the area of responsibility," after detecting it was flying near Polish airspace.
The intercept took place above international waters of the Baltic Sea, according to the Polish military.
Warsaw's forces also detected objects entering Polish airspace from Belarus, which is allied with Russia, and determined the objects were most likely "smuggling balloons," the Polish defense ministry said in an online post.
Hello and merry Christmas from the Bonn newsroom!
Today, we once again bring you key headlines regarding the war in Ukraine and the wider tensions between Russia and NATO allies in Europe, with the Kremlin still mulling its response to the peace plan pitched by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week.
Stay tuned for the latest updates in this live blog.