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.'
The State Department approved a $266 million foreign military sales package for Ukraine on Dec. 10, enabling the sustainment of services as well as repairs necessary for the upkeep of the country's F-16 fighter jets.
German Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz would closely coordinate the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine with the U.S. and European partners, he said in an interview with Bild on Dec. 9.
Chinese manufacturers began limiting their sales of vital drone components to their U.S. and European customers, preluding a broader ban on exports by officials, Bloomberg wrote, citing undisclosed sources on Dec. 9.
"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.
As Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed in a matter of days, Russia's influence in the Middle East appeared to wane. Preoccupied with its all-out war against Ukraine, Russia was unable to prevent the Dec. 8 downfall of its main ally in the region. The stunning rapidity of the rebels'
"We have made clear is that if (Ukraine) produces additional forces to join the fight, we and our allies will be ready to acquit those forces and train those forces to enter battle," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Dec. 9.
Key developments on Dec. 9: * Zelensky 'may consider' deployment of foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine to ensure ceasefire * Ex-chief of Russian-run Olenivka prison allegedly killed in car bombing in occupied Donetsk * Trump 'formulating a concept' to end Russia-Ukraine war * Russia claims bodies of Il-76 crash victims given to Ukraine, Kyiv says
Ukraine is assembling a coalition of partners to create a working group aimed at bolstering its defense and forming a united diplomatic stance on ending the war, the president's spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov said 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.
Russia has spent at least $200 billion on its war with Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a conference on Dec. 7 in California.
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."
Trump and Zelensky met in Paris as world leaders gathered in the city for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) cited concerns over Musk's "contacts with Russia and the alleged use of his Starlink system by Russian forces in Ukraine."
Washington will send Kyiv hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets, and hundreds of armored vehicles before mid-January. The U.S. also offered to train soldiers at sites beyond Ukrainian territory.
Zelensky added that effective guarantees are currently needed for Ukraine's security, namely "real alliances and a real security foundation within the country," as well as "weapons that enable defense and deterrence of the enemy."
Editor's note: For the holiday season, the Kyiv Independent has created a unique collection dedicated to Carol of the Bells. Shop now on our e-store. Concertgoers filled Carnegie Hall on a rainy Thursday in October 1922 for a 35-piece performance by the Ukrainian National Choir. It was the first stop
On Dec. 5, 1994, Ukraine had signed a set of political agreements that would guarantee the country's sovereignty and independence in return for accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Signed in Budapest, the memorandum would lay grounds for Ukraine to dispose of its nuclear arsenal
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.
Russian General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, held a rare phone call with U.S. General Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Nov. 27, The New York Times reported on Dec. 4, citing official sources.
Hungary has requested the United States to provide the country with a sanctions waiver to further continue payments for Russian natural gas imports through Gazprombank, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Dec. 4.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Georgian authorities "are pushing the country into clear dependence on Russia."
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