Key developments on Nov. 4:
- Artillery supplies from partners for Ukraine have increased, Zelensky says
- Ukraine open to Qatar mediating energy security with Russia, says no talks currently ongoing
- Number of North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast increases to 11,000, Zelensky says
- 63% of Ukrainians ready to endure the war as long as necessary, survey shows
- Canada sends first NASAMS system to Ukraine
Ukraine has begun receiving increasingly more military assistance from international partners, namely in terms of artillery, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 4.
"We are recording an increased supply of defense aid packages. The situation with artillery has improved," Zelensky wrote on Telegram after a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff.
The statement comes several days after Zelensky complained that Kyiv had received only close to 10% of military assistance approved by U.S. Congress in April.
The U.S. has recently announced several large-scale aid packages for Ukraine, most recently $425 million worth of ammunition, arms, vehicles, and other support unveiled on Nov. 1.
The Pentagon seeks to ship in defense aid before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office in January. There are fears that if Republican nominee and ex-President Donald Trump defeats his Democratic challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the Nov. 5 election, Washington might scale down its support for Kyiv.
Ukraine finds itself in an increasingly difficult situation on the battlefield, facing shortages not only in materiel but also in manpower as the mobilization drive stalls.
Speaking after the meeting, Zelensky was briefed on the "destruction of Russian forces" near the Ukrainian border in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
The president also discussed drone supplies for the military with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, saying that the "approved supply plans are being carried out."
"I instructed the defense minister to increase orders of Ukrainian drones further," Zelensky said.
Chris York
Ukraine open to Qatar mediating energy security with Russia, says no talks currently ongoing
Ukraine is not holding direct talks with Russia on an energy ceasefire but is open to a third country mediating the implementation of the peace formula talks, said Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, in a televised interview on Nov. 4.
The official said this in response to multiple media publications that claimed Kyiv and Moscow are holding preliminary discussions on mutually stopping strikes on energy facilities.
After the Qatar-mediated talks allegedly first fell through in August in the wake of the Kursk incursion, the Financial Times reported on Oct. 29 that the parties are considering resuming the discussions. The Kremlin denied the resumption of talks in a statement on Oct. 30.
Speaking in Montreal, Canada, Yermak refuted any direct negotiations with Moscow. He added that a thematic international conference, co-organized by Qatar, on implementing the security aspect of Ukraine's peace formula took place online in August without Russian participation.
The official said that Kyiv would not rule out the possibility of reaching an agreement based on the thematic conference through intermediaries, naming Qatar or "any other country" that would help the parties implement the conclusions.
"After that, we said that if today, Qatar or any other country is ready to implement these agreements separately with Ukraine and separately with Russia, please do," Yermak said.
The third point of Ukraine's peace formula denounces Russian strikes against the Ukrainian energy grid and urges tougher sanctions to undermine Moscow's capability to sustain these attacks.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the idea of a mutual cessation of energy strikes to implement this goal was proposed during the first global peace summit in Switzerland in June. He said that a willingness on Russia’s part to halt the strikes might signal a willingness to start broader peace talks.
An agreement would mark the most significant de-escalation of the war since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Yermak stressed that no such agreement is currently being discussed with Russia.
Kateryna Denisova
Number of North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast increases to 11,000, Zelensky says
North Korea has already deployed 11,000 troops in Russia's Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 4, citing Ukraine's intelligence report.
"We see an increase in the number of North Koreans, and we do not see an increase in the reaction of our partners," Zelensky said in his evening address.
Ukraine's military intelligence reported on Nov. 2 that Russia deployed more than 7,000 North Korean troops from Russia's Primorsky Krai closer to the Ukrainian border.
These numbers almost coincide with those of Washington earlier this week. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that some 8,000 North Korean troops are amassed in Russia's Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine began a cross-border incursion in August and still holds significant swathes of territory.
Boldizsar Gyori
63% of Ukrainians ready to endure the war as long as necessary, survey shows
Almost two-thirds of Ukrainians said they are ready to endure the war as long as it takes, a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed on Nov. 4.
A further 15% of respondents said they were willing to bear the burden of the war for a few more months, and 4% said they could endure it for six months. Some 6% percent said they are ready to endure for a year, and 12% could not answer.
According to the poll, positions on the matter have remained mostly stable since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. However, there was a slight drop in those willing to endure the war for as long as needed–from 73% in December 2023 and February 2024 to 63% in October.
The number of those who supported continuing the resistance only for a shorter period of time has also grown. This trend was especially noticeable in the south and east, where the share of respondents willing to endure the war for a year or more went from 71% to 57% and 73% to 48%, respectively.
The population of western and central Ukraine expressed high support and confidence regarding the resistance.
The poll was conducted between Sept. 20 and Oct. 3. on a representative sample of 989 people. It excluded those who fled abroad or lived in the Russian-occupied territories.
Ukraine finds itself in an increasingly difficult situation in the war. Russian forces keep advancing in the east at a pace unseen in 2024 while the country braces for renewed strikes on the energy grid and possible blackouts during winter.
Francis Farrell
Canada sends first NASAMS system to Ukraine
Canada sent the first U.S.-made National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) to Ukraine, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told President Volodymyr Zelensky on Nov. 4.
"We expect to receive it by the end of this year," Zelensky said after the call.
Trudeau announced in January 2023 that the country would purchase the $406 million NASAMS for Kyiv. Ottawa reportedly paid for the system later in the spring, but its delivery has been delayed.
Earlier in the day, Zelensky said that Ukraine has begun receiving increasingly more military assistance from partners, namely in terms of artillery.
The NASAMS systems have been in service with Ukrainian forces since November 2022, when the U.S. delivered the first batteries amid the escalating Russian airstrikes.
Ukraine has lobbied international partners for more air defense capabilities in the wake of intensifying Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure.
Canada has committed 4.5 billion Canadian dollars ($3.2 billion) in military aid for Kyiv since the start of Russia's all-out war.
Kateryna Denisova
