Russia rings in new year with mass drone strike on Ukraine, Putin says he’s confident of victory

kyiv, Ukraine — Russia marked the start of the new year by launching more than 200 drones into Ukraine, while President Vladimir Putin used his end-of-year speech to rally support for his troops and ensure his country’s victory.

In Ukraine itself, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech on December 31 was both provocative and optimistic about the frenetic shuttle diplomacy brokered by the United States.

Zelensky said Russia, whose officials are also in talks with the Americans, remains the main obstacle to peace, with Putin unyielding in his maximalist demands.

“I would give anything in the world if in this speech I could say that peace will also come in a few minutes,” Zelensky said just before the clock struck midnight. “Unfortunately, I cannot say that yet. But with all conscience, I – all of us – can say that Ukraine is truly doing everything for peace.”

The Ukrainian leader recently returned Sunday from a meeting with President Donald Trump in Florida. Afterward, Zelensky said Trump had offered 15 years of crucial “security guarantees” that he said are key to preventing Putin from attacking again. Ukraine had asked for 50 years, he said.

Hours before the New Year’s bells rang, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff posted on X that he had a call with Zelensky, Ukrainian National Security Secretary Rustem Umerov and the national security advisers of Britain, France and Germany.

In his own post on X, Umerov said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were also in attendance.

Although Zelensky said that “the peace agreement is 90 percent ready,” he suggested that the remaining 10 percent contains the thorniest issues that hinder peace.

“It is these 10% who will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, the way people will live,” he said. “Ten percent to save millions of lives. Ten percent of the determination needed to make peace work 100%. Ten percent of the unity and wisdom that Ukrainians, Americans, Europeans and the whole world desperately need. Ten percent for peace.”

The Ukrainian leader charted what has been a turbulent year trying to maintain the goodwill of Trump, a central and shifting figure in the peace process. Zelensky said that “it was not at all easy to achieve such a change in the tone of relations between Ukraine and the United States” after his clash with Trump and Vice President JD Vance during a special meeting at the White House in February.

Trump has often vacillated between appearing to favor Russia and then Ukraine during these negotiations, and has been repeatedly criticized for excluding Ukraine and Europe from the process.

“Without Ukraine, nothing will work. Ukraine defended its right to express itself,” Zelensky said, later adding: “Ukraine is, in fact, the only shield that now separates Europe’s comfortable way of life from the Russian world.”

Hours after Zelensky’s speech, Russia launched 205 drones — mostly Iranian-designed Shaheds as well as Russian Gerbera drones — into Ukraine, according to the country’s military. Air defense systems shot down 176, but 24 strikes were recorded on 15 sites, the statement said. Bombing also took place along the line of contact between Russia and Ukraine.

At least two people were killed and more than a dozen injured across the country, according to regional officials.

For its part, Ukraine launched a strike against the Russian Rosreserv oil depot in the Yaroslavl region, the Ukrainian security service, the SBU, said in a statement. The SBU said it was the latest strike aimed at “cutting Russian oil product supply chains with surgical precision, both abroad and for troops attacking Ukraine.”

Russia claimed this week that Ukraine attempted to assassinate Putin with a drone strike on his country residence, which Ukraine denied and the CIA concluded was false, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.

In his own New Year’s speech, Putin said his country was striving to “bring joy and warmth” to those in need, as well as to the “heroes” fighting in Ukraine. “I wish all our soldiers and commanders a happy new year! We believe in you and in our victory,” he said.

Daryna Mayer reported from Kyiv and Alexander Smith from London.