Moscow rejects calls for a Christmas truce in Ukraine. “We want peace, we don’t want a truce to give Ukraine a break to prepare to continue the war,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “Now the question is whether we are going to reach, as President Trump says, an agreement or not,” Peskov added. But if the Ukrainians, instead of a peace agreement, aim for “temporary and impracticable decisions, then we are hardly ready to participate in this”, concluded Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, quoted by the Interfax agency.
Moscow: “We will not accept NATO troops in Ukraine, no concessions on the territories”
“We will not endorse, accept or even be satisfied with any presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory.” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said this, underlining in an interview with ABC News that Moscow will not accept Alliance soldiers on Ukrainian soil even if they were part of a security guarantee or as members of the Coalition of the Willing. Ryabkov then reiterated that Russia has no intention of making concessions on Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimea: “We absolutely cannot compromise on them.”
Moscow: “We are on the verge of reaching an agreement.” Peace closer than ever?
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in the same exclusive interview with ABC News that he believes the warring parties are “on the verge” of reaching a diplomatic solution to end the war in Ukraine. “We are ready to reach an agreement,” Ryabkov said, adding that he hoped it would happen “as soon as possible.” US administration officials yesterday signaled that peace between Russia and Ukraine may be closer than ever, telling reporters on condition of anonymity that “literally 90%” of the issues between the two conflicting countries have been resolved.
Zelensky: “We will not recognize Donbass as Russian territory”
“Ukraine will not recognize Donbass as Russian territory, neither de jure nor de facto.” This was declared – as reported by the UNIAN agency – by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, answering journalists’ questions on the sidelines of the Berlin summit. “We don’t want to give up our Donbass. The Americans want to find a compromise and offer a free economic zone, which does not mean under the leadership of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky added. Then he continued: “Despite everything, we will discuss the territorial issue. It is one of the key issues on which we have not yet reached a consensus.”
Wilders: “Kiev must never join the EU or NATO”
“Zelensky is welcome in the House of Representatives today, but he must never join the EU or NATO.” The leader of the Dutch ultra-right, Geert Wilders, writes this on X before the Ukrainian president’s speech to Parliament in The Hague. “Now it’s up to other countries to support him financially. The Netherlands has already contributed an incredible amount of billions,” adds Wilders, calling for the available resources to go “to the Dutch people.”
Dutch Prime Minister: “The USA guarantees support, Kiev decides on Donbass”
Interim Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said after talks in Berlin that US support appears “solid enough” to allow Ukraine and European partners to face possible concessions in negotiations with Russia. A possible total or partial renunciation of Donbass, he specified to the Dutch media, remains a decision exclusively in the hands of Kiev. Schoof will welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today in The Hague, where the signing of the Council of Europe treaty that will create the war damage compensation commission for Kiev is expected. The two leaders will then hold a joint press conference at 12.45pm.
The Dutch prime minister underlined how Kiev, Washington and European capitals share the need for solid security guarantees. The creation of a European peacekeeping force is also on the table.
“If not only Ukraine and Europe, but also the United States will support this solution, I believe that Russia will be forced to move in that direction,” Schoof noted. “No one at that table is naive”, but “we are convinced that we have the necessary momentum”, he underlined, adding that “the next few days or weeks could prove crucial to arriving at a ceasefire and, in prospect, a just and lasting peace”.
Moscow media: “We have taken control of the city of Kupyansk”
All the districts of Kupyansk, in the Kharkiv region, would be under the control of the Russian army: this is what the Russian Tass agency states. Tass reports the statement from Battlegroup West spokesman Leonid Sharov. “I am in a forward command post of the 121st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 68th Motorized Rifle Division of the 6th Joint Army of Battlegroup West. Units of Battlegroup West continue to achieve combat objectives in the zone of the special military operation. The city of Kupyansk is under the control of the 6th Joint Army,” the spokesman said.
Zelensky in Holland, speech in the Chamber and launch of the commission on war damage
Volodymyr Zelensky arrived late yesterday evening in The Hague, a new stage in his intense European diplomatic mission which in recent days has taken him to London, Rome, Vatican City and Berlin. This morning, from 10.30, he will speak in the Senate and the Chamber, then he will meet Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof – with whom he will hold a press conference around 12.45 -, King Willem-Alexander and the Foreign and Defense Ministers.
At the center of the Ukrainian leader’s visit is also the Council of Europe conference which will mark the birth of the international commission for compensation claims in favor of Kiev.
The body will have the task of quantifying the war damage suffered by Ukraine and examining applications submitted by citizens, organizations and institutions. The work will be based on the damage register established in 2023 – which already has over 80 thousand reports – and will have to evaluate claims amounting to hundreds of billions of euros, linked to Russian bombings, violations of human rights and war crimes committed since the start of the invasion in February 2022.
The initiative, as far as we know, will start with unprecedented numbers: 35 countries are already ready to support it, one of the highest membership levels ever recorded for a Council of Europe treaty – 228 so far – in its 76 year history. The full launch will be subject to parliamentary ratifications – at least 25 – and could take about a year. The methods for disbursing compensation still remain to be defined, including the possible creation of a fund also fueled by frozen Russian assets. The Netherlands is among Kiev’s staunchest supporters: since 2022 it has allocated over 13.5 billion euros in military aid and 3.5 billion in civil support, to which another 700 million will be added in 2026.
France: “Solid guarantees for Kiev before talking about territories”
France wants “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine before any discussion of Kiev ceding territory to Moscow to end the Russian war. This is what President Emmanuel Macron’s staff made known.
“We want solid security guarantees before any discussion on territory. We have made progress on the issue of guarantees… thanks to a clarification on the form of US support,” a Macron adviser said, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks in Berlin with US envoys and European leaders, aiming to reach a deal to end the nearly four-year-old war.
Russian drone hits skyscraper in Zaporizhzhia, fire and three injured
A Russian drone hit a skyscraper in Zaporizhzhia during the night, causing a fire. Three people were injured. This is what Ukrinform makes known. The head of the Regional Military Administration of Zaporizhzhia Ivan Fedorov reported the attack. “In the early hours of the morning, the Russians attacked the regional center with a drone. The attack caused a fire in a skyscraper.” A man suffered shrapnel wounds and a woman was poisoned by carbon monoxide. Fedorov then reported a third wounded. Rescuers are working at the site of the attack. The inhabitants of the upper floors were evacuated.