Christmas decorations and an outdoor ice rink in Red Square in front of the Kremlin. EPA Yonhap News

The Kremlin announced on the 25th (local time) that Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent Christmas greetings to U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to TASS and RIA Novosti, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing that day, "(President Putin) has already sent a congratulatory telegram to President Trump for Christmas."

He added that there was no scheduled phone call between President Putin and President Trump on this day.

Peskov strongly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Christmas speech, calling it "barbaric."

President Zelensky said in a Christmas message to the nation the previous day, "May he perish." This led to analyses suggesting he wished for President Putin's death.

Peskov stated, "I saw reports about President Zelensky's very strange Christmas speech yesterday," and criticized it as "barbaric and full of hatred."

He further commented that President Zelensky appeared to be an unstable person, questioning, "I doubt whether he has the ability to make appropriate decisions through political and diplomatic means."

President Trump is mediating the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through Special Envoy Steve Wicoff and others, but the gap in positions between Russia and Ukraine is not easily narrowing.

Peskov announced that they are analyzing the details of the Ukrainian peace plan negotiations reported to President Putin by Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who returned from negotiations with the U.S. in Miami, Florida, on the 20th-21st.

He added, "We are analyzing the materials and will continue communication with the United States according to the President's decision."

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assessed at a briefing that day that there is slow but steady progress in the dialogue between Russia and the United States regarding the issue of Ukraine.

She stated that Russia is demanding that the West resist attempts by Western countries to undermine peace efforts in Ukraine while engaging with the United States.

Regarding the rising tensions in the Caribbean due to the U.S. blockade of Venezuela, Zakharova criticized, "We are witnessing a complete lawlessness where the theft of someone else's long-forgotten assets, i.e., piracy and robbery, is being revived."

She emphasized, "We hope that President Trump's pragmatism and rationality will help in seeking mutually acceptable solutions within the framework of international law."

She also added that Russia supports the efforts of the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to protect its sovereignty and national interests.