Russia fired more than 650 drones and three dozen missiles at Ukraine in a major pre-Christmas attack, killing at least three people including a child.

The town of Siversk had served as a stronghold in the portion of eastern Donetsk still under Ukrainian control. Moscow wants Kyiv to surrender the town as part of a peace deal.

Ukraine said a resistance agent was able to sneak into a Russian hangar and destroy two Russian fighter jets.

Ukraine withdrew troops from Siversk after heavy fighting as Russia intensified winter strikes, killing civilians, cutting power, threatening Chernobyl safety and underscoring stalled US-backed peace efforts despite ongoing diplomatic talks.

Apart from disagreements about peace efforts in Ukraine, Witkoff has been at loggerheads with Rubio and State Department officials about the way he handles security.

Russia has ordered a winter troop surge to break the stalemate in Ukraine, but Ukrainian drone attacks on logistics and resupply channels will undermine this offensive.

Crude futures pick up from early losses and add to yesterday’s gains as the U.S. steps up actions in the Caribbean to cut off Venezuela’s oil trade and increase pressure on the country’s strongman Nicolás Maduro.

Proposals that emerged in recent negotiations with the United States were “rather unconstructive,” a Kremlin official said on Sunday.

Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that several draft documents, including on security guarantees, had been prepared after Ukrainian officials held talks in Miami with US counterparts on ending Russia's war.