By Hannah Parry, Shane Croucher, and John Feng
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Donald Trump’s envoys have given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a new deadline to respond to its proposed peace plan, unnamed officials told the Financial Times. Zelensky has just days to decide whether to accept the U.S. plan, which would require Ukraine to cede territory to Russia, in exchange for unspecified security guarantees, the Times reported.
However, it seems unlikely that Zelensky will accept the U.S. plan. The Ukrainian leader said that he is planning to present his own revised plan to the White House on Tuesday, after ruling out any deal that would cede territory. "We are working very actively on all components of potential steps toward ending the war. The Ukrainian and European components are now more developed, and we are ready to present them to our partners in the U.S." Zelensky said in a post on X, following his meeting with European and NATO leaders on Monday.
Trump had been hoping to get the peace deal signed by Christmas, the Times reports, but that timeline is seeming increasingly unrealistic.
What To Know
- On Ukraine, Trump said Russia has the upper hand, and Zelensky has to accept that he is losing the war: "He’s gonna have to get on the ball and start accepting things." He said Europe is "talking" but "they don't produce" and the war carries on. Trump also said he'd like Ukraine to hold elections, which have been suspended due to the war.
- Dmitriev shared a picture on X of Zelensky with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz together in Downing Street and said: "Team 'War' is sabotaging Trump’s Peace." Russia is trying to drive a greater wedge between the U.S. and its European NATO allies amid strained relations.
- After the London meeting of key players in the "Coalition of the Willing", Zelensky made clear he would not give in to Russian territorial demands: “According to the law we don’t have such right. According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either." He'll hand the U.S. a revised plan on Tuesday.
- Zelensky headed to Brussels for a "good and productive meeting" with NATO and EU leaders as they try to mount a coordinated resistance to pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia in the peace talks: "Our positions have been aligned on all issues. We are acting in a coordinated and constructive manner."
- Trump had earlier criticized Zelensky for not having read the latest round of proposals under discussion between a Ukrainian delegation and U.S. envoys in Florida. The Ukrainian team said they were going to brief Zelensky with the full details on Monday before holding further talks on them in Kyiv.
- Meanwhile, the war rages on in the background. Ukraine and Russia exchanged drone attacks overnight into Monday, with both sides saying civilians had been impacted. Ukrainian forces also reported further fighting in the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk, despite ongoing Russian claims that it had taken control of the city, which it calls Krasnoarmeysk.
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Dec 09, 2025 at 05:02 PM EST
Norway warns a ‘cheap ceasefire’ in Ukraine would lead to ‘expensive peace’ for Europe
A "cheap ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia would create an "expensive peace" for all of Europe, Norway's foreign minister warned on Tuesday.
"I very much hope that we will have peace in Ukraine and nobody wants that more than the Ukrainians themselves," Espen Barth Eide said. "But I am worried that we might push this to what in quotation marks is a 'cheap ceasefire', which will lead to a very expensive peace."
Eide said that a "cheap ceasefire" would mean Ukraine being forced to cede territory to Russia.
Instead, the U.S., Europe and Ukraine needed to work together to agree a common position to negotiate with Russia to avoid future conflict, adding that Europe's entire future could be on the line.
Dec 09, 2025 at 04:40 PM EST
Kyiv UN ambassador tells Russia, ‘Ukraine is not for sale’
Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine's UN ambassador, told his Russian counterpart at the UN Security Meeting in New York on Tuesday that his country was not "for sale."
"Our territory and our sovereignty are not for sale. We are not at the Christmas Bazaar," he said, following Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vassili Nebenzia's comments at the meeting. "Russia wants Ukraine to capitulate, as we just heard. Russia wants us to surrender. But my reply to you would be...You will get just a hole of a bagel."
Melnyk urged allies to introduce "massive secondary sanctions" against countries still "supporting Russia's war-making machine," adding that only when the money had dried up, would Vladimir Putin be ready to seek a ceasefire.
Dec 09, 2025 at 04:20 PM EST
British soldier dies in Ukraine in ‘tragic accident’
A British soldier died in Ukraine on Tuesday in what the U.K. Ministry of Defense described as a "tragic accident."
"It is with deep regret that we must announce that a member of the UK Armed Forces died in Ukraine this morning, Tuesday 9 December," the DoD said in a statement. "He was injured in a tragic accident whilst observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability, away from the front lines."
Further details about the soldier's death were not available but it is understood they were not killed by hostile fire.
The U.K. has confirmed previously that it has a "small number of personnel" based in Ukraine.
Dec 09, 2025 at 04:06 PM EST
British foreign secretary hits back at Trump’s ‘weak’ comments
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has hit back at President Donald Trump's claims that European leaders are "weak."
"What I see in Europe is strength," Cooper responded when asked about Trump's comments on Tuesday.
"The strength and commitment to the support for Ukraine and also strength to step up to the plate and to ensure that we are increasing our investment in defense, and also ensure that we are doing our bit through the coalition of the willing, as well as through investment in military support and the energy infrastructure support that Ukraine needs."
Cooper added that the U.K. was adding sanctions on companies and individuals spreading Russian misinformation on the war in Ukraine.
Dec 09, 2025 at 03:49 PM EST
Zelensky to ask parliament to prepare for wartime elections after Trump pressure
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he is planning to ask his parliament to prepare the framework to make wartime elections possible, even while under martial law.
He said that if the country's security can be guaranteed then elections could be held in the next two to three months.
The move comes after President Donald Trump put pressure on Zelensky to hold an election. Zelensky's term as president would have typically ended in May 2024 but according to Ukraine's constitution, elections cannot be held during martial law - which was declared when Russia invaded in 2022.
"Maybe Zelenskyy would win. I don't know who would win, but they haven’t had an election in a long time. They talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it's not a democracy anymore," Trump said.
Dec 09, 2025 at 03:21 PM EST
Pope Leo criticizes Trump for trying to ‘break apart’ US-Europe alliance
Pope Leo has criticized Donald Trump for branding European leaders as "weak," and warned that the president is trying to "break apart" the longstanding U.S.-Europe alliance.
"I think unfortunately some parts of that I have seen make a huge change in what was for many, many years a true alliance between Europe and the United States. The remarks that are made about Europe also in interviews recently I think are trying to break apart what... needs to be a very important alliance today and in the future," he told reporters, following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump recently blasted Europe, accusing its leaders of allowing the continent to "decay" because of their stance on immigration.
Dec 09, 2025 at 03:00 PM EST
Russian ambassador to UN warns Moscow will achieve its goals, either ‘militarily or diplomatically’
Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vassili Nebenzia, issued a new warning to Ukraine and its allies during a Security Council meeting in New York on Tuesday.
Nebenzia warned that Moscow will achieve its goals, whether it does so "militarily or diplomatically."
"I think today no one has any doubts about that Russia will achieve the objectives of its special military operation... the only question is will we do this militarily or diplomatically?" he said. "We reiterate that we prefer the latter course. Yet due to the actions seeking to undermine on the part of European hawks, we do not see any serious prospects of this."
Nebenzia's comments came amid the ongoing peace talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Dec 09, 2025 at 02:01 PM EST
Irish PM dismisses Trump’s claims Europe is ‘weak’
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin dismissed President Donald Trump's categorization of Europe being "weak."
“Obviously, it depends on how one defines strength. But Europe is one of the strongest continents in the world in terms of economic strength, and that’s manifested in the EU US trade agreement. Inherently in that agreement is a recognition of strength of Europe, economically," Martin said on Tuesday.
Trump on Monday said that Europe was “weak,” “decaying” and “destroying itself” through immigration. He even indicated that the U.S. could walk away from the peace process as negotiations stretch on.
Martin said that Europe was currently focusing on the hybrid attacks across allied nations, from Russia.
"And I’m confident that Europe has the capacity, has the economic scale to respond to those challenges.”
Dec 09, 2025 at 01:25 PM EST
Trump’s envoys give Zelensky new deadline on peace plan
Donald Trump’s envoys have given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a new deadline to respond to its proposed peace plan.
Zelensky has just days to decide whether to accept the U.S. plan which would require Ukraine to cede territory to Russia, in exchange for unspecified security guarantees, officials told the Financial Times.
However, it seems unlikely that Zelensky will accept the U.S. plan. The Ukrainian leader said today he is planning to bring his own revised plan to the U.S. on Tuesday, after ruling out any deal that would cede territory to Russia.
Trump had been hoping to get the peace deal signed by Christmas, the Times reports, but that timeline is seeming increasingly unrealistic.
Dec 09, 2025 at 12:56 PM EST
Zelensky praises meeting with Italy’s Meloni
Volodymyr Zelensky has praised his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, saying they had “an excellent and very substantive discussion” about the next steps for peace in the Ukraine war.
"We appreciate Italy’s active role in generating practical ideas and defining steps to bring peace closer,” he said, adding that he briefed Meloni on what his negotiating team was working on, as he plans to present the U.S. with a revised peace plan.
“We are counting greatly on Italy’s continued support – it matters for Ukraine,” he said.
Dec 09, 2025 at 12:25 PM EST
Trump says Zelensky is going to have to start ‘accepting things’ after Ukrainian leader rules out ceding territory
President Donald Trump announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was going to have to "start accepting things" after Zelensky publicly ruled out ceding territory to Russia under the U.S. peace plan.
“Zelensky is going to have to get on the ball and start, uh, accepting things,” Trump told Politico Monday. The president said that Ukraine had already "lost a lot of land," suggesting that they were already losing the war.
“You know, when you’re losing... Well, they’ve lost territory long before I got here. They lost a whole strip of seafront, big seafront. They lost that whole strip. It’s now a bigger strip. It’s a wider strip, but they lost a lot of land... You certainly wouldn’t say it’s a victory,” Trump added.
He also claimed that Zelensky had rejected his peace plan because he had not read it.
Dec 09, 2025 at 11:47 AM EST
Trump urges Ukraine to hold a presidential election
President Donald Trump said that Ukraine should hold a new election, despite being at war with Russia, as he said that Kyiv would soon reach a point “where it’s not a democracy anymore.”
“I think it’s time. I think it’s an important time to hold an election,” Trump told Politico on Monday. “They’re using war not to hold an election, but, uh, I would think the Ukrainian people would, should have that choice.”
Zelensky's term as president would have typically ended earlier this year. But according to Ukraine's constitution, elections cannot be held during martial law - which was declared when Russia invaded in 2022.
Dec 09, 2025 at 11:10 AM EST
Putin ally issues update on deploying nuclear weapons
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shared an update Tuesday on his plans to deploy nuclear weapons in coordination with Russia throughout his country.
The close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "the question of returning nuclear weapons to us was raised."
"We also discussed putting on alert Russia’s state-of-the-art systems. We have full mutual understanding and support from Russia. Therefore, we will work together to defend our country," Lukashenko said, according Belarus' BelTA news agency.
"We cannot ignore this very mobilization and militarization [by NATO nations]," Lukashenko said. "These countries are not spending vast amounts of money on, as they say, countering Russia and Belarus for no reason. We do not intend to attack anyone. We have enough of everything."
"We need to update our defense measures so that everyone sees we are ready to defend every patch of our land," the Belarusian president warned.
Dec 09, 2025 at 10:39 AM EST
European allies say war at ‘critical moment’ as Zelensky prepares to present new peace plan
European leaders warned that the Russia-Ukraine war was at a “critical moment” as President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to present his revised peace plan to the U.S.
Zelensky was in London on Monday meeting with several heads of state including the U.K.'s Kier Starmer, Germany's Friedrich Merz, and France's Emmanuel Macron.
Following the meeting, Starmer’s office said the leaders had discussed “the importance of the U.S.-led peace talks for European security" and that the leaders had "underscored the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which includes robust security guarantees."
“The leaders agreed that, while diplomatic efforts continue, Europe must stand with Ukraine, strengthening its ability to defend against relentless attacks.”
Dec 09, 2025 at 10:20 AM EST
Zelensky says he plans to present peace steps discussed with European leaders to US
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X, on Tuesday, that he plans to present the revised peace plan that he has discussed with Europe, to the U.S.
"Today, we already discussed with our negotiating team the results of yesterday’s work in London, which was conducted at the level of the National Security Advisors of our European partners. This was agreed upon yesterday at the leaders' level,' he said in the post.
"We are working very actively on all components of potential steps toward ending the war. The Ukrainian and European components are now more developed, and we are ready to present them to our partners in the U.S.
"Together with the American side, we expect to swiftly make the potential steps as doable as possible. We are committed to a real peace and remain in constant contact with the United States. And, as our partners in the negotiating teams rightly note, everything depends on whether Russia is ready to take effective steps to stop the bloodshed and prevent the war from reigniting. In the near future, we will be ready to send the refined documents to the United States. Glory to Ukraine!"
Dec 09, 2025 at 09:52 AM EST
NATO ally declares national emergency over balloons
NATO member Lithuania has declared a national emergency over smuggling balloons crossing into its airspace from neighboring Belarus, a key ally of Russia.
"It’s clear that this emergency is being declared not only because of disruptions to civil aviation, but also due to national security concerns and the need for closer coordination among institutions,” Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič said during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lithuania's LRT reported.
The Lithuanian government said the balloons posed a "danger" to human life, property and the environment, and that the actions were seen as a form of hybrid warfare.
Newsweek contacted the Belarusian and Lithuanian foreign ministries for comment.
Read in full: NATO Ally Declares National Emergency Over Balloons
Dec 09, 2025 at 09:24 AM EST
Ukraine preparing to present its own peace plan to White House
Ukraine is preparing to present its own revised peace plan to the Trump administration after President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out ceding territory to Russia.
Zelensky said he had no right to make such a call according to Ukrainian law.
The Ukrainian leader rejected President Donald Trump's peace plan, which suggested that Russia would be allow to keep the land it illegally annexed, after Zelensky met with European and NATO leaders on Monday.
Zelensky said his team could send their new proposal to the White House as soon as Tuesday.
Dec 09, 2025 at 09:00 AM EST
Zelensky set to meet Italy’s Meloni shortly
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shortly.
The meeting amid increasing pressure for Ukraine to find support among Western nations as U.S. support appears to be wavering.
Meloni, a right-wing politician, is one of the few European leaders who has remained in President Donald Trump's favor and may not want to jeopardize that position by stepping into the Ukrainian peace negotiations.
Dec 09, 2025 at 08:44 AM EST
IN PICTURES: Moment Zelensky met Pope Leo
Ukraine deeply appreciates all the support of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex and the Holy See – the ongoing humanitarian assistance and the readiness to expand humanitarian missions.
During today’s audience with His Holiness, I thanked him for his constant prayers for… pic.twitter.com/J2iPAdArQn
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 9, 2025
Dec 09, 2025 at 08:15 AM EST
How Russia and China are countering US alliance’s missile threat
Russia and China recently conducted a joint anti-missile exercise, which an expert told Newsweek signaled a growing level of trust, with the two sides able to mutually benefit amid the proliferation of long-range precision weapons in Europe and Asia.
In a short statement released on Saturday, China's Defense Ministry said the war game, held at an undisclosed location in Russia in early December, did not target any third party and had nothing to do with the "current international and regional situation."
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email for further comment.
According to China's Defense Ministry, the December drill marked the third time it has conducted an anti-missile exercise with its Russian counterpart. The previous two war games, both code-named Aerospace Security, were held in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Read in full: How Russia and China Are Countering US Alliance’s Missile Threat
Dec 09, 2025 at 07:57 AM EST
Ukraine insists battle for Pokrovsk isn’t over
Ukraine claimed that it is still fending off Russian forces in Pokrovsk, Donetsk, days after the Kremlin said it had finally won full control of the strategically-significant logistics hub following a months-long battle.
The eastern command of Ukrainian forces said in a post on Facebook that "search and assault operations and the elimination of the enemy in urban areas continue" in Pokrovks as of December 9.
"The enemy is trying to infiltrate the northern part of the city, taking advantage of the fog. These attempts are being blocked, and the enemy is being destroyed," the eastern command claimed.
But it described the situation in the neighboring Myrnograd area as "difficult" as Russian forces try to advance in the city.
"Ukrainian units continue to carry out their assigned tasks and hold their positions," the update said.
"The enemy is actively shelling Myrnohrad with aerial bombs. The enemy is conducting intensive assault operations, trying to penetrate and gain a foothold in the southeastern outskirts of the city.
"Defense forces are destroying enemy assault groups using all available means."
The command added: "Additional logistics routes to Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad are being organized to ensure the uninterrupted supply of all necessary items to our units and their timely evacuation."
Russia continues to claim that it has "liberated" Pokrovsk, which it refers to by its Soviet-era name, Krasnoarmiysk.
Dec 09, 2025 at 07:18 AM EST
What Donald Trump said about Ukraine in new interview
President Donald Trump said Ukraine is losing the war and Russia has the upper hand, calling on President Volodymyr Zelensky to "get on the ball and start accepting things" in the peace negotiations.
"It’s not easy with Russia, because Russia has the upper hand. And they always did. They’re much bigger. They’re much stronger in that sense," Trump told Politico.
"I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the bravery and for the fighting and all of that. But you know, at some point, size will win, generally."
The peace process is currently stuck on territorial disputes, control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and the future architecture of Ukrainian security guarantees.
Russia is demanding that Ukraine cede the whole of the eastern Donbas region to it. But Zelensky said he has no legal or moral right to do so, and that the constitution forbids it without a referendum. Ukraine still controls around a fifth of the Donbas.
Trump also said it might be time for Ukraine to hold elections, though Kyiv says these cannot take place while the country is at war. Zelensky said he would hold elections soon after the war ended.
"I think it’s an important time to hold an election. They’re using war not to hold an election, but, uh, I would think the Ukrainian people should have that choice," Trump said.
"And maybe Zelensky would win. I don’t know who would win. But they haven’t had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore."
The U.S. leader also pressed Europe to do more to help Ukraine and fight back against Russia.
"Europe is not doing a good job in many ways. They’re not doing a good job," Trump said.
"They talk too much. And they’re not producing. We’re talking about Ukraine. They talk but they don’t produce. And the war just keeps going on and on."
Dec 09, 2025 at 06:48 AM EST
Donald Trump torches Europe in new interview, says it’s “being destroyed”
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President Donald Trump said "weak" political leadership in Europe is ruining great cities such as London and Paris and that the continent is "being destroyed" largely due to mass immigration.
Trump, speaking on Monday in a newly released interview with Politico, was talking about his new national security strategy, which said it would now be U.S. policy to cultivate resistance to Europe's current trajectory within allies.
"Europe is a different place," Trump said. "And if it keeps going the way it’s going…many of those countries will not be viable countries any longer. Their immigration policy is a disaster."
Of European leaders, Trump said: "I think they’re weak, but I also think that they want to be so politically correct."
But he also made clear that he "liked" the current European leaders he deals with, even as tensions flare over Ukraine and U.S. criticism of Europe's politics.
"I’m friendly with all of them. I mean, I like all of them. I have no real enemy," Trump said.
"I’ve had a couple that I didn’t like over the years. I actually like the current crew. I like them a lot...I know the good leaders. I know the bad leaders. I know the smart ones. I know the stupid ones. You get some real stupid ones, too.
"But they’re not doing a good job. Europe is not doing a good job in many ways. They’re not doing a good job."
Dec 09, 2025 at 06:16 AM EST
Pope Leo meets with Ukraine’s Zelensky
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Pope Leo XIV met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his residence in Castel Gandolfo, the Vatican said.
"During the cordial talks, which focused on the war in Ukraine, the Holy Father reiterated the need for the continuation of dialogue and expressed his urgent desire that the current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace," according to the Holy See's press office.
"In addition, the questions of prisoners of war and the need to assure the return of Ukrainian children to their families were also discussed."
In a post on X about meeting with the pope, Zelensky said he "thanked him for his constant prayers for Ukraine and for the Ukrainian people, as well as for his calls for a just peace."
"I informed the Pope about diplomatic efforts with the United States to achieve peace. We discussed further actions and the Vatican’s mediation aimed at returning our children abducted by Russia," Zelensky said.
Dec 09, 2025 at 06:02 AM EST
Merz rejects “unacceptable” Trump nationals security strategy for Europe
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the Trump White House's new National Security Strategy “unacceptable to us from a European perspective” after it sharply criticized its NATO allies in Europe and accused them of democratic backsliding, particularly on free speech.
The White House document also said Europe risked "civilizational erasure" due to mass migration and economic stagnation from overregulation and unsustainable welfare spending. It said the Trump administration would encourage political allies on the continent to push Europe to change course.
“I see no need for the Americans to now want to save democracy in Europe,” Merz said on Tuesday, AFP reported.
Dec 09, 2025 at 05:25 AM EST
Kremlin reacts to Merz’s Soviet Union accusation against Putin
The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's accusation that Moscow's leader is seeking to restore the Soviet Union territorially.
Merz had made the comments to French media, saying Putin had ambitions beyond Ukraine that could stretch into the Baltic states.
This assessment "does not correspond to reality," Dmitry Peskov told journalists at his regular press briefing on Tuesday, state media reported, originally in Russian.
"Vladimir Putin does not want to restore the USSR, because it is impossible. And he himself has said this repeatedly."
Peskov also said it is "wrong" for Merz to talk in this way and "shows a lack of respect" to the former Soviet states who are now Russian partners and allies.
Dec 09, 2025 at 04:56 AM EST
Lukashenko hits back over NATO ally’s Belarus balloons emergency
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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asked if NATO's Lithuania was seeking war with his country as he hit back at its declaration of national emergency over what Vilnius said were smuggling balloons sent over by its neighbor, a close ally of Russia.
Lithuania said the balloons were disruptive to civil aviation and also posed a serious national security threat.
“During this time, as the experts reported to me, the issue has been seriously studied, right down to the civil aviation pilots," Lukashenko said at a meeting of his Security Council, originally in Russian, according to a Telegram channel closely linked to the presidency.
"And what the Lithuanians are proposing to us today is impossible, it's unrealistic. Even if these balloons were to fly there, even if they were to fly at all, I've talked to the pilots, and they say: 'This doesn't pose any problem'.”
Lukashenko continued: "Why? The question arises. Do they really want to go to war? We don't need war. I'm sure that the Lithuanian people don't need war either, just like the Poles, Latvians, and Estonians. We've had enough of war. We lost so many people, and there are still generations alive who experienced that war. We don't need war!"
Dec 09, 2025 at 04:41 AM EST
Russian An-22 military plane crashes
A Russian An-22 plane has crashed in the Ivanovo region with 7 people on board, according to multiple media reports in Russia.
The Antonov An-22 is a Russian military transport aircraft.
The crash occurred in the Furmanovsky district, Vesti reported.
Ivanovo is around 200 miles northeast of Moscow.
There was no immediate information on the cause of the crash.
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