The first North Korean soldier taken prisoner of war by Ukrainian forces while fighting for Russia has died of his injuries, South Korean intelligence said Friday.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that Russia was trying to "conceal losses" of North Korean troops fighting against Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia is open to a Slovakian proposal to host peace talks with Ukraine to end a conflict he said Russia was determined to bring to a conclusion.

Trump has said he wants to end the conflict as quickly as possible, which would seemingly entail forcing Ukraine to accept a deal more favorable to Moscow.

Russia launched aerial attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector “on a massive scale” overnight into Wednesday, local authorities said, amid intensified bombardment that has left Ukraine in a precarious position as the war grinds into a third winter.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha believes that Russia's latest large-scale attack on Ukraine indicates its unwillingness to agree to ceasefire proposals. Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Sybiha described the current wave of Christmas terror as "Putin's response to those who spoke about the illusionary 'Christmas ceasefire'.

"Ukraine was brutally attacked on Christmas Day," said Keith Kellogg, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Ukraine and Russia envoy.