The visit comes after several days of international travel for Zelensky, which has seen him visit Argentina to attend the inauguration of newly elected President Javier Milei and to Washington, where he met with President Joe Biden and top Congressional leaders.
"Russia has proven once again that it is a heinous country that fires missiles at night, trying to hit residential areas, kindergartens, and energy facilities during the winter," said President Volodymyr Zelensky.
With the blockage cleared, trucks may resume transit through the border "without any difficulties," Polish police said. Local Polish authorities added that there is still a long line, and it may take as long as 32 hours to cross the border.
The South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that North Korea is allegedly sending workers to Russia, the Yonhap news agency reported on Dec. 12.
"We wouldn't see it (as) fair if (Moldova) is taken hostage by the solution to this quite complex problem," said the EU's ambassador to Moldova, Janis Mazeiks.
Massive cyberattacks hit the largest Ukrainian telecommunications company, Kyivstar, and one of the country's largest banks, Monobank, on Dec. 12.
Newly elected Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Dec. 12 that Poland will “loudly and decisively demand the full mobilization of the free world, the Western world, to help Ukraine in this war.”
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Dec. 11 to pass a bill banning the import of Russian uranium. A majority of uranium used by the U.S. is purchased from abroad. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said that in 2022, 12% of the total amount of uranium used by nuclear power plants in the U.S. was purchased from Russia, making it the third largest supplier.
The Supreme Court of the Russian region of Tatarstan ruled on Dec. 12 to confirm the decision of a lower court to keep Alsu Kurmasheva, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist with dual U.S. and Russian citizenship in pre-trial detention.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, said that air defense had shot down a "target" near the village of Bessonovka, about 30 kilometers from the city of Belgorod and close to 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Kyiv did not comment on the claim, and it cannot be independently verified.
The Group of Seven (G7) nations said on Oct. 12 that it would hold frozen Russian assets in their jurisdictions, estimated to be around $280 billion, until Russia pays for the reparations and reconstruction of Ukraine.
The decision came just three days after the Finnish Supreme Court ruled that Petrovsky cannot be extradited to Ukraine to stand trial because conditions in Ukrainian prisons do not meet standards set by the European Convention on Human Rights. The court released him but he was immediately re-arrested by the Finnish Border Guard.
Information on any damage or casualties potentially caused by the fallen missile have not been reported at the time of this publication.
After an introduction by Austin, Zelensky took the stage with a standing ovation. He thanked Austin for his support and leadership.
The decision to remove Morawiecki represented an effective end to the eight years of power by the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), and an opportunity for opposition leader and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk to form a new government
The planned meetings come as the future of U.S. aid to Ukraine is in question and existing funds are almost depleted.
Other members of parliament do not allow them to resign because they need to pass laws necessary for the nation, he said.
The proposed changes would reduce the welfare payments for Ukrainians and offer state-run housing for 90 days, after which refugees would have to find their own housing. The existing scheme allows for Ukrainian refugees to stay in state-provided housing indefinitely.
It would also be a sign that the EU cannot deliver on historical commitments, said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The high levels of energy consumption were partially the result of winter weather conditions, but other factors, such as delays in planned repairs, contributed to the problem.
The plane was flying from Khanty-Mansiysk in western Siberia to Moscow and reportedly experienced a malfunction with its landing gear, according to initial reports.
The U.K. announced on Dec. 11 the creation of a new unit, the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI), to help combat companies that are circumventing sanctions, including those against Russia.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the three countries planned to increase their trilateral cooperation to create a united front against the spectrum of North Korean hostile actions towards its neighbors in the region and the larger world. In particular, the officials said that North Korea was using cyber activities to fund its nuclear program.
A Russian drone dropped explosives on the city of Beryslav, Kherson Oblast, on the morning of Dec. 9, killing one and injuring another, the regional prosecutor's office reported.
Polish Vice Minister of National Defense Marcin Ociepa was responding to a Dec. 7 story by The New York Times in which a Ukrainian soldier, known only as Oleksandr, said that the blockade had prevented his unit from receiving much-needed night vision devices.
As with other polls gauging Americans' support for Ukraine, there was a significant partisan divide. Only 16% of Democrats thought the U.S. was providing too much aid, while 39% thought it was about right, and 24% said it was not enough.
Up to 800,000 Russians have moved to occupied Crimea since its illegal annexation in 2014, and around 100,000 Ukrainians have left, in what amounts to a larger Russian project of remaking the peninsula's demography, said Vladyslav Miroshnychenko, an analyst for the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union on Dec. 6.
Authorities in Kyiv have begun dismantling a statue of Red Army commander Mykola Shchors located on one of the main streets in the center of the capital, the Kyiv City State Administration announced on Dec. 9.
All of the planes that experienced serious incidents, which included cabin depressurization, fires, engine and rudder failure, among other issues, eventually landed safely, although several were forced to make emergency landings.
"This decision, as well as the non-election of Russia to the International Maritime Organization Council for 2023-2024, shows the protection of the international maritime community's right to free navigation of every country," said Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
Under the rules, Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be able to participate as teams nor display any flags or any official identification with either country. Athletes or support personnel who have openly supported the war will not be allowed, as will anyone who has served or is affiliated with either the military or security organizations of Russia or Belarus.
"(Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor) Orban does not hide it," Donald Tusk added, saying, "his relationship with Moscow is organic."
