KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump will happen “in the near future,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday, signaling progress in talks to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.

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“We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level – with President Trump in the near future,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

“A lot can be decided before the New Year,” he added.

Zelenskyy’s announcement came after he said Thursday he had a “good conversation” with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Trump has unleashed a diplomatic push to end the war, but his efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said Tuesday he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end the war, if Moscow also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces.

Though Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that there had been “slow but steady progress” in the peace talks, Russia has given no indication that it will agree to any kind of withdrawal from land it has seized.

In fact, Moscow has insisted that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory it still holds in the Donbas — an ultimatum that Ukraine has rejected. Russia has captured most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk — the two areas that make up the Donbas.

On the ground, one person was killed and three others wounded when a guided aerial bomb hit a house in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, while six people were wounded in a missile strike on the city of Uman, local officials said Friday.

Russian drone attacks on the city of Mykolaiv and its suburbs overnight into Friday left part of the city without power. Energy and port infrastructure were damaged by drones in the city of Odesa on the Black Sea.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said it struck a major Russian oil refinery Thursday using British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces hit the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Russia’s Rostov region. “Multiple explosions were recorded. The target was hit,” it wrote on Telegram.

Rostov regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar said a firefighter was wounded when extinguishing the fire.

Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid, seeking to deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Kyiv officials say is an attempt to “weaponize winter.”

Steelers at Browns (+3½)

Pittsburgh’s D.K. Metcalf could lose as much as $45 million in contractual guarantees after being suspended for smacking a blue-haired Lions fan during last Sunday’s game. The only way you could lose that much money more quickly would be by purchasing $TRUMP meme coins.
Pick: Steelers by 7

Patriots at Jets (+13½)

New England rallied past Baltimore last week and kept alive its hopes of getting the No. 1 seed and hosting the AFC championship game. That contest will air next month on CBS unless it’s pulled at the last second by Bari Weiss.
Pick: Patriots by 24

Jaguars at Colts (+6½)

The ageless Philip Rivers played well again, but Indianapolis lost again Monday night and destroyed its playoff hopes. The sudden demise of a team that started 7-1 is due to the fact the rest of the Colts have been playing like they are 44 years old.
Pick: Jaguars by 7

Seahawks at Panthers (+7½)

Carolina is battling equally unimpressive Tampa Bay for first place in the motley NFC South. That division is going to produce the most pathetic winner of 2026, at least until the Minnesota governor’s race.
Pick: Seahawks by 7

Bears at 49ers (-2½)

The 49ers are as hot as anyone and have a decent shot at playing in Super Bowl LX on their home field in Santa Clara. That would give them a ringside seat for the halftime spectacular when ICE agents try to haul away Bad Bunny fans.
Pick: 49ers by 3

Eagles at Bills (-1½)

The Bills’ Josh Allen gifted his offensive linemen “a quarter of a cow” worth of beef for a Christmas gift. Fortunately for the players who live in Buffalo, they will be able to store the holiday beef outside their homes until late April.
Pick: Bills by 3

Rams at Falcons (+7½)

The Rams lost in Seattle on an unbelievable backward-lateral call on a key two-point conversion by the Seahawks. The uproar from Los Angeles fans only grew after the officials’ explanation for the controversial call was redacted by the Justice Department.
Pick: Rams by 3

Giants at Raiders (-1½)

The NFL’s bottom dwellers, both 2-13, are likely playing for the right to draft the No. 1 pick this spring. Either way the game turns out, the big loser will likely be Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Pick: Raiders by 4

Buccaneers at Dolphins (+5½)

Third-year running back De’Von Achane, who’s third in the league with 1,267 rushing yards, learned Monday that he’s the only Miami player selected for the Pro Bowl Games. NFL insiders report that nobody’s interested, and nobody cares.
Pick: Buccaneers by 7

OTHER GAMES

Cardinals at Bengals (-7½)
Pick: Bengals by 3

Saints at Titans (+2½)
Pick: Saints by 7

RECORD

Week 15
8-8 straight up
7-9 vs. spread

Season
145-94-1 straight up (.607)
116-124 vs. spread (.483)

All-time (2003-25)
3964-2195-15 straight up (.644)
3027-3003-145 vs spread (.502)

You can hear Kevin Cusick on Thursdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on X– @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.

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If the Vikings weren’t going to be able to compete for a Super Bowl, they wanted to make sure neither were the Detroit Lions.

That mindset served as motivation for the Vikings on Thursday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium en route to a 23-10 win that officially eliminated the Lions from the playoffs.

Though the offense for the Vikings failed to move the ball for most of the game with rookie quarterback Max Brosmer under center, the defense put forth an otherworldly effort with veteran safety Harrison Smith leading the charge.

The win for the Vikings helps them vault into third place in the NFC North. The loss for the Lions might close their Super Bowl window once and for all.

Here are some takeaways from the game:

Brian Flores painted yet another masterpiece

In what might be the last game of consequence for the Vikings this season, defensive coordinator Brian Flores once again proved that he should be a top candidate for every team looking for a new head coach.

Never mind that the defense has been on a roll for a couple of months. This was its magnum opus as it made an explosive offense on the other end look completely out of sorts.

The constant pressure deployed by the Vikings rattled the Lions, especially veteran quarterback Jared Goff, who was a turnover machine for most of the game.

The implosion from Goff included him throwing two interceptions and coughing up three fumbles in total. There was also a pretty costly fumble from running back Jahmyr Gibbs early in the game.

In total, the Vikings forced six turnovers in the game, a major morale boost for a group of players that has rode the roller coaster at times this season. The identity of the defense has been forged by Flores and he deserves to be rewarded for it when the hiring cycle begins.

Harrison Smith continued to turn back the clock

It’s still unclear if Smith intends to retire at the end of this season. He has typically kept his cards close to the vest on that front so there more than likely won’t be a big announcement regardless of what he decides.

If his vintage performance for the Vikings against the Lions was indication, however, Smith should maybe consider delaying retirement a little bit longer. He was the best player on the field for prolonged stretches throughout the game, finishing with one sack, two tackles for a loss, one interception, and three passes defended.

That impressive stat line for Smith was the continuation of a positive trend. He’s looked like a much younger version of himself as of late, flying around with reckless abandon like he used to in his prime.

The fact that Smith is still able to make an impact has to make him start thinking about his future and if he’s ready to give up the game he truly loves so much.

Max Brosmer isn’t ready to be the backup

There was hope that Brosmer would be able to bounce back from a miserable NFL debut. He struggled mightily last month as the Vikings got shutout by the Seattle Seahawks. He responded by simply putting his head down and going back to work.

That set the stage for Brosmer to redeem himself with the Vikings hosting the Lions. Instead, he completed 9 of 16 passes for a mere 51 yards, while taking 48 yards worth of sacks in the game.

The disastrous showing from Brosmer proved he’s not yet ready to be the backup for the Vikings. It’s too much to ask of him so early in his career. He’s still very much a project that needs to work on his craft behind the scenes without the risk of having to play in a game.

Justin Jefferson is closing in on 1,000 yards

The inability to move the ball through the air this season has cost star receiver Justin Jefferson. He’s on pace for the least productive campaign of his career because the Vikings don’t have anybody capable of throwing him the ball with consistency.

That said, Jefferson is still in position to eclipse 1,000 yards, a milestone that means a lot to him because he’s never missed out on it. He had 30 yards for the Vikings in the win over the Lions. He needs 53 yards next week when the Vikings host the Green Bay Packers to reach quadruple digits.

The fate of Jefferson maintaining his streak of reaching 1,000 yards could hinge on whether young quarterback J.J. McCarthy can return from a hairline fracture in his right hand.

Will Reichard should be going to the Pro Bowl

After missing out on being selected to the Pro Bowl, kicker Will Reichard seemed like he was out to prove the voters got it wrong. He nailed field goals from 52 yards away and 56 yards away to help lead the Vikings past the Lions.

The ease with which Reichard can connect on long field goals is a weapon the Vikings definitely don’t take for granted. He’s now 30 of 32 on field goal attempts this season and a perfect 30 of 30 on extra point attempts.

There might not be a better kicker in the NFL at this point. That’s how good Reichard has proven to be for the Vikings.

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Today is Friday, Dec. 26, the 360th day of 2025. There are five days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 26, 1908, Jack Johnson became the first Black boxer to win the world heavyweight championship as he defeated Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia.

Also on this date:

In 1941, during World War II, Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, just two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that plunged the U.S. into the war.

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In 1966, Kwanzaa was first celebrated, a seven-day holiday to help African Americans reconnect with their African heritage.

In 1990, Nancy Cruzan, a young woman in an irreversible vegetative state whose case led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the right to die, died at a Missouri hospital.

In 1991, the USSR was formally dissolved through a declaration by the Supreme Soviet.

In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean off the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami with waves up to 100 feet high that killed about 230,000 people across a dozen countries as far as East Africa. The worst-affected countries were Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

In 2006, former President Gerald R. Ford died in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 93.

In 2021, South African Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu died at 90; the retired archbishop had been an uncompromising foe of apartheid and a modern-day activist for racial justice and LGBTQ rights.

Today’s Birthdays:

“America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh is 80.
Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk is 78.
Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith is 71.
Humorist David Sedaris is 69.
Rock musician Lars Ulrich (Metallica) is 62.
Actor-musician Jared Leto is 54.
Rock singer Chris Daughtry is 46.
Actor Beth Behrs is 40.
Actor Kit Harington is 39.