Local media: Russian occupiers force civilians entering Mariupol to drop Ukrainian license plates.

7:10 AM

Georgian PM announces new law banning face-coverings at protests.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced plans to introduce a law banning participants in rallies and counter-rallies from covering their faces, Georgia Today reported on Dec. 8.

3:56 AM

Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina posthumously receives Prix Voltaire Special Award.

Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina was posthumously honored with the Special Prix Voltaire Award at the 34th International Publishers Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, PEN Ukraine reported on Dec. 6.

3:05 AM

EU Defense Commissioner proposes $105 billion defense budget allocation, Politico reports.

European Union Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, has proposed allocating 100 billion euros ($105 billion) for defense in the next seven-year EU budget, Politico reported on Dec. 8.

11:40 PM

Trump urges Putin it's 'time to act' on ceasefire negotiations with Zelensky.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to take action toward negotiating a truce, saying on Dec. 8: "I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!"

10:39 PM

Russia's attack on Kherson Oblast kills 1, injures 7.

A 73-year-old man in a town of Kindiika close to Kherson died after explosives were dropped from the drone on Dec. 8.

10:00 PM

KI Insights

The Week Ahead: Key Developments Impacting Global Politics & Markets

8:13 PM

Syria's Assad, his family have arrived in Moscow after being granted asylum, sources tell Russian news agencies.

Russian news agencies reported on Dec. 8 that Syria's Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Russia, where they have been granted asylum on "humanitarian grounds."

7:53 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers in action since start of invasion, Zelensky says

7:09 PM

Video

Trump -Zelensky meeting and Johnny Harris controversy | Ukraine This Week.

6:59 PM

Trump tells NBC News Ukraine should likely prepare for reduced US aid.

Trump reiterated that he is working to end the hostilities in Ukraine, reinforcing his earlier campaign claim that he could resolve the war within 24 hours if he were in charge.

6:03 PM

Assad regime collapse in Syria exposes weakness of Russia, Iran, EU's top diplomat says.

In a post on X, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas described Assad’s fall as a “positive and long-awaited development," saying that the collapse "shows the weakness of Assad’s backers, Russia and Iran."

4:48 PM

Russia withdraws ships, weapons from Syria, Ukrainian intelligence reports.

The withdrawal comes as rebels advancing from Damascus push toward Syria's coastal provinces, including Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russian military bases are located, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said.

3:27 PM

Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers in action since start of invasion, Zelensky says.

This figure contrasts a claim made earlier the same day on Dec. 8 by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who wrote on his Truth Social platform that Ukrainian military losses had reached "400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians."

1:50 PM  (Updated:  December 8, 2024 3:00 pm)

Reuters reports Assad may have died in plane crash, later removes report.

Reuters on Dec. 8 reported, citing its Syrian sources that "there was a very high probability that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may have been killed in a plane crash" as he was fleeing Damascus following its capture by rebels. Reuters later deleted the information from its reporting.

12:44 PM

Zelensky ready to 'make a deal' on the war in Ukraine, Trump says after meeting in Paris.

Trump and Zelensky met in Paris as world leaders gathered in the city for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

10:46 AM

28 drones intercepted, 46 lost in Russia's overnight attack on Ukraine, Air Force reports.

The drones targeted multiple oblasts, with debris from downed drones causing damage to residential buildings.

10:25 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 753,370 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,460 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day, Ukraine's General Staff reported.

5:38 AM

Syrian rebels announce fall of Russia-backed Assad regime.

"The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled. We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad," rebel leaders claimed on Dec. 8.

5:03 AM

Rebels enter Damascus, Assad reportedly flees capital.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane out of Damascus on Dec. 8 as rebel forces swept into the capital, two senior army officers told Reuters.

3:37 AM

Russia claims control of village in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine has not confirmed capture.

Russia claimed control over the village of Beretsky in Donetsk Oblast, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Dec. 7. Ukrainian officials have not commented on Russia's claims, which could not be independently verified.

2:49 AM

Russia's war in Ukraine weakened Assad regime, US won't get involved, Sullivan says.

"Assad's backers — Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah — have all been weakened and distracted," U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said. Russia cannot provide large-scale military support while "ground down in a war of attrition" in Ukraine.

12:53 AM

Syrian government forces withdraw from Homs, cutting Assad off from key Russian military base.

Homs is located between Damascus, Syria's capital, and the Mediterranean coast — where Russia maintains its Khmeimim Air Base and Tartus Naval Base.

11:50 PM

US announces $988 million military aid package for Ukraine.

The latest aid package will be pulled through the remaining $2 billion in funding from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) — a Pentagon-led program for supplying arms to Ukraine through contracts with U.S. defense companies.

10:22 PM

US officials believe Assad's regime may fall within days, CNN reports.

The regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad may fall within days as Syrian rebels continue to advance on the country's capital Damascus, five different U.S. officials told CNN on Dec. 7.

9:13 PM

Zelensky meets with Georgian President Zourabichvili, urges Georgians to 'not let government surrender country to Putin.'

"Ukraine supports and stands in solidarity with the Georgian people, who are currently fighting for a worthy future for themselves," Zelensky told Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili during the meeting. "It is important to always respect the will of the people and not let the Ivanishvili government surrender the country to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin."