U.S. President-elect Donald Trump wants European troops to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 12, citing undisclosed official sources.
Key developments on Dec. 12: * Trump hints he won't 'abandon' Kyiv but opposes Ukraine launching US missiles inside Russia * Drones attack Chechnya, hitting police building, Kadyrov claims * Poland 'dismisses speculation' on peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, PM says * US House passes 2025 defense spending bill without Ukraine lend-lease extension * Hungary did
"I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?" Donald Trump told Time.
European NATO foreign ministers began discussing a plan to gradually increase the alliance’s defense spending target from 2% of their GDP to 3% by 2030, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 12, citing undisclosed sources.
Trump's team is also considering inviting other world leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The document will not be published due to the "sensitivity of some of its findings," the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity under White House ground rules, told the Associated Press.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump did not discuss details of a possible peace plan when they met in Paris, with Trump calling for an immediate ceasefire, Reuters reported on Dec. 11, citing five undisclosed sources.
Ukraine is exhausted. Low on manpower, ammunition, and, most importantly, morale, the country is slowly reckoning with the fact that the ongoing war may be unwinnable on the battlefield — at least for now. According to a Gallup survey published on Nov. 19, 52% of Ukrainians now say they want their
Russia will "definitely be prepared to consider" a prisoner exchange, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told NBC News, adding that a potential exchange could mark "a healthy step forward, especially at the beginning of the next (U.S.) administration."
Although no concrete decisions have been made on the potential sanctions, sources familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg that a number of avenues are being explored, including sanctions on Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet.'
Some 44.6% of Ukrainians trust U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, roughly 10 points less than incumbent President Joe Biden, a survey by New Europe Center published on Dec. 10 showed.
"The future has begun — an afternoon in Mar-a-Lago," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
"And that’s the truth — only decisiveness can bring this war to a just end and ensure lasting peace," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
Ukraine "may consider" French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to deploy European peacekeepers on its territory but only after getting a clear understanding of the NATO membership timeline, President Volodymyr Zelensky said after meeting German opposition leader Friedrich Merz on Dec. 9.
Russian President Vladimir Putin should seek an end to the war as he lost 700,000 people to hostilities, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said in comments for the New York Post published on Dec. 8.
Key developments on Dec. 7-8: * Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers in action since start of invasion, Zelensky says * Russia claims control of village in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine has not confirmed capture * Situation in Zaporizhzhia Oblast 'difficult,' but 'predicted,' Freedom of Russia Legion spokesperson says * Ukrainian sea drones
In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, host Anna Belokur explains the recent meeting between U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky, the escalating protests in Georgia, U.S. commentator Tucker Carlson's surprise interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and the Johnny Harris controversy.
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.
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."
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."
Trump and Zelensky met in Paris as world leaders gathered in the city for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
The previously unannounced meeting comes ahead of Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. It also marks the first in-person encounter between Zelensky and Trump since Trump won re-election.
President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as well as French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris for a trilateral meeting on Dec. 7, amid world leaders' visit to France for the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed confidence in reaching an agreement with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on a joint strategy for Ukraine following their phone conversation.
President Volodymyr Zelensky may meet U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 7 during his visit to Paris to mark the Notre-Dame Cathedral's reopening, AFP reported, citing an unnamed senior Ukrainian official.
Polish Deputy Finance Minister Pawel Karbownik said on Dec. 4 that the European Union is prepared to compensate if the U.S. withdraws from a $50 billion multilateral loan agreement for Ukraine.
"They only want to dictate and speak the language of ultimatums," Andriy Yermak said in an interview for The Telegraph. He emphasized that no leader of the democratic world, including U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, would allow such ultimatums.
A Ukrainian delegation, led by Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, met with top incoming government officials as well as aides to President-elect Donald Trump in Washington on Dec. 4, various media outlets reported.
U.S. far-right pundit Tucker Carlson said on Dec. 4 that he is in Moscow to interview Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, promising the discussion would be released "very soon."
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that Washington would face a "dire threat" from China, Iran, and North Korea if Ukraine is forced to accept an unfavorable peace deal, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 2.
Editor’s note: Ukrainian soldiers featured in this story are identified by first name only since they spoke without authorization from their command. Nearly four months after Kyiv launched a surprise cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, some Ukrainian soldiers are increasingly pessimistic about the costly operation. “Aviation is
With the fate of further U.S. support for Ukraine, and thereby the future of the country, up in the air as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, the EU wants to send the message to Kyiv that it has its back. Kaja Kallas, the EU's new
