Ukraine hopes to open all 6 negotiating clusters on EU accession in 2025, Zelensky says
Ukraine aims to potentially open all six EU accession negotiation clusters in 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 15.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn
Articles
Members of Trump's team admit Ukraine-Russia peace settlement could take months, Reuters reports
Several advisors to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump have accepted a timeline of at least several months to strike a deal to settle the Russia-Ukraine war, Reuters reported on Jan. 15, citing two Trump associates who directly spoke to the president-elect about the war.
NATO, EU membership, military strength are strategic security guarantees for Ukraine, Zelensky says
Continued weapons shipments, NATO accession, and EU membership are key security guarantees, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 15, noting that the country cannot engage in "games" reducing the size of its military. Ahead of potential peace negotiation, a large military was "the only security guarantee," Zelensky added.
Drones target Russia's Tula region, local media says
Explosions were heard overnight on Jan. 14 in the city of Aleksin, Tula Oblast in an alleged drone attack, local media reported. Tula region, home to over 1.5 million people, is located south of Moscow.
Macron, Zelensky discuss 'practical steps' for deploying peacekeeping troops in Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the situation on the front line and the possibility of sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in a phone call on Jan. 13.
Putin has failed to meet any of his strategic objectives in Ukraine, Biden says
"When Putin invaded Ukraine, he thought he'd conquer Kyiv in a matter of days ... He has failed thus far to subjugate Ukraine, failed to break the unity of NATO, and failed to make large territorial gains."
NATO won't endorse Trump's 5% spending target, but ready for increase, Reuters reports
NATO allies are unlikely to meet U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's proposed spending target of 5% of GDP but are open to an increase from the current 2%, Reuters reported on Jan. 10, citing comments from officials and analysts from various NATO countries.
Ukraine's inflation accelerated to 12% in 2024, exceeding government forecasts
The accelerated rate surpassed forecasts made by Ukraine's National Bank in November, which estimated that Ukraine would end 2024 at an annualized 9.7% inflation rate.
Ukraine 'will do everything' it can to obtain security guarantees, end war in 2025, Zelensky says
"It is our dream to obtain these (security) guarantees this year and to end the war this year. We will do everything to achieve this," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Italian broadcaster RaiNews24 on Jan. 10.
Kyiv calls Polish presidential candidate 'manipulative' for comments on Ukraine's EU, NATO accession
"Such statements indicate that the Polish politician prioritizes short-term political considerations over the strategic security interests of his own country," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.
Norway allocates over $2 billion in military aid for Ukraine in 2025, Umerov says
The defense minister met with his Norwegian counterpart on the sidelines of the Ramstein summit on Jan. 9. According to Umerov, the 2025 assistance to Ukraine will mark the largest military aid package in Norway's history.
Lukashenko apologized to Zelensky for Belarus' role, denied responsibility early in Russia's invasion, Zelensky says
Shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion began, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko apologized to President Volodymyr Zelensky over the country's involvement in the war, Zelensky revealed in an interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman published on Jan. 5.
Zelensky offered to buy weapons from incoming Trump administration with frozen Russian assets
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously offered U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for Ukraine to buy American weapons at the expense of $300 billion in frozen Russian assets, Zelensky revealed in an interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman published on Jan. 5.
3,800 North Korean troops killed or injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says
A total of 3,800 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman on Jan. 5.
Lukashenko to visit China ahead of Belarus presidential elections
The reported visit will be Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's third trip to China in three years. Lukashenko is likely looking to reduce Belarusian dependence on Russia, Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said.
Finnish court upholds seizure of Russian tanker suspected of cable sabotage
The Helsinki District Court has ruled to keep the oil tanker — suspected of belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet" — under seizure, despite an appeal from the ship's owner.
US looking into restricting or banning drones made by 'foreign adversaries,' including China, Russia
The Bureau of Industry and Security said on Jan. 2 that the involvement of foreign adversaries in "supply chains, including acute threats from China and Russia – may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive U.S. data."
Ukraine to appoint first Military Ombudsman, Zelensky says
"Together with the new commissioner, the human rights community, and the Ministry of Defense, we will draft a corresponding bill on the Military Ombudsman and establish the institutional framework for its operation," Zelensky said on Dec. 29.
16-year-old arrested in Russia over anti-government school poster
The child, who the Kyiv Independent has chosen not to identify, allegedly put up posters titled "Heroes of Russia" with photos of Denis Kapustin and Aleksiy Levkin on Dec. 26. Kapustin and Levkin are fighters in the Russian Volunteer Corps, a militant group established by Kapustin who has fought alongside Ukraine and opposes the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Poland prepared to increase energy exports to Ukraine in place of Slovakia, Bloomberg reports
Poland is ready to increase domestic electricity production if Slovakia halts the delivery of backup power supplies to Ukraine, an unnamed Polish official told Bloomberg on Dec. 29.
Ukraine plans to open over 150 underground schools by fall 2025
There are currently 79 underground education facilities under active construction, Deputy Education Minister Nadiia Kuzmychova said.
North Korean troops suffer over 1,000 losses in Kursk Oblast in past week, White House official says
"It is clear that Russian and North Korean military leaders are treating these troops as expendable and ordering them on hopeless assaults against Ukrainian defenses," National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said on Dec. 27.
US to send $1.25 billion in military aid to Ukraine, AP reports
The upcoming aid package is expected to include a substantial supply of air defense munitions, along with Stinger missiles and artillery rounds, according to U.S. officials.
Parliament proposes bill to allow male students free travel from Ukraine
The Verkhovna Rada is drafting a bill that will allow Ukrainian students enrolled in universities abroad to freely cross Ukraine's borders. Once entering the country from abroad, most male students currently cannot leave Ukraine again.
Ukraine receives 86 million euros from European Investment Bank to protect energy infrastructure from drone attacks
Anti-drone shelters will be constructed with the funding to protect electricity transmission equipment and make Ukraine's energy grid more reliable and resilient, the EIB said in a statement.
US plans to impose more sanctions on Russian energy by year-end, Ukrainian official says
The U.S. is planning to impose additional sanctions on Russian oil by the end of the year, particularly targeting Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for sanctions, told public broadcaster Suspilne on Dec. 23.
Russia targets Ukrainian government services in 'largest cyberattack in recent time'
In the largest cyberattack in recent months, several government services were targeted, including state registers the Ministry of Justice oversees. Russia has regularly targeted Ukrainian companies and government institutions with cyberattacks since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russian losses exceed 750,000 troops, expected to surpass 1 million within 6 months, UK estimates
The U.K.'s latest estimate are in line with figures from Ukraine's General Staff, which, as of Dec. 19, sits at 768,220 troops lost since the start of the war. The figures do not specify killed or wounded, though the overall consensus is that it includes dead, wounded, missing, and captured.
6 injured in Russian attack on residential building in Kryvyi Rih
A Russian missile struck a two-story residential building in the city of Kryvyi Rih overnight on Dec. 19, injuring six people, including a child.
West should pressure Russia into peace talks, not Ukraine, Polish FM says
"Both the United States and the European Union must help Ukraine to achieve a better negotiating position for possible future negotiations, which should be encouraged and forced on the aggressor, not the victim."
Russia to mass-produce Oreshnik ballistic missiles, Putin claims
Large-scale production of Russia's nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile is a goal for "the near future," Putin alleged at a defense ministry board meeting on Dec. 16.
US announces over $440 million in economic aid for Ukraine
The economic aid package is comprised of four key parts, including $223 million to rebuild transportation, infrastructure, and logistics.
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