For today, links to an article of commentary from Horizons via Consortium News, and to five reports: from Agence France-Presse. the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-28-25.  Scroll up or down for WEST BANK, IRAN, GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 24  Two centuries of Russophobia & rejection of peace, by Jeffrey D. Sachs | Horizons / Consortium News  From the nineteenth century to the present, Russia’s security concerns have been treated not as legitimate interests to be negotiated within a broader European order, but as moral transgressions to be resisted, contained, or overridden. READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky wants any war deal to be signed by Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the U.S. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also told journalists that Kyiv hoped to “move forward quickly” and was “open” to any format of meetings. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same brief AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbor’s land by force. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Trump says there’s progress on a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Reported by Danielle Kurtzleben and Michel Martin | NPR  President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy say they are making progress on a peace deal to end the war in Russia after meeting in Mar-a-Lago Sunday. Click HERE for listen and, later, read.  Click HERE and HERE for AFP / AFP report in English and French, and HERE and HERE for headlines of others.

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Ex-Pentagon official on the prospects of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with former Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas, now executive director of the McCain Institute, about prospects for peace following the Ukraine presidents visit to Mar-a-Lago. Click HERE for listen and, later, read.

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