“We will defeat Russia,” says Zelensky
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European Union 27-leader Charles Michel and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will hold a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 3 next year, an EU spokesman said on Thursday.
The location of the summit has not yet been decided.
“I can confirm that the EU-Ukraine summit will take place on February 3 and there is an open invitation to President Zelensky to visit Brussels,” said Barend Leits, a spokesman for the EU leaders’ presidency.
He said that the invitation to Zelensky to visit Brussels does not mean that the summit will be held there.
Russia earlier said more US weapons supporting the war in Ukraine would worsen the siege, issuing a direct threat to the war-torn country on the sidelines of Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington.
The flow of Western arms supplies to Ukraine has caused “an escalation of the conflict and actually does not bode well for Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned on Wednesday, adding that Russia saw no chance of peace talks with Kyiv.
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EU invites Zelensky to discuss more support for military effort
European Union 27-leader Charles Michel and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will hold a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 3 next year, an EU spokesman said on Thursday.
The location of the summit has not yet been decided.
“I can confirm that the EU-Ukraine summit will take place on February 3 and there is an open invitation to President Zelensky to visit Brussels,” said Barend Leits, a spokesman for the EU leaders’ presidency.
He said that the invitation to Zelensky to visit Brussels does not mean that the summit will be held there.
Officials said the topic of the meeting is likely to be how the EU can continue to support Ukraine against Russia. The leaders of the EU’s two key institutions – the Commission and the Council of EU Leaders – will also assess Ukraine’s path to membership of the bloc.
Zelensky has regularly appeared via video link at EU summits since the start of the Russian invasion in February. He made his first personal trip since the start of the war to Washington on Wednesday.
Matt Mathers December 22, 2022 11:19 am
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US missile deal won’t stop Russia from achieving military goals – Kremlin
Russia said Thursday that U.S. deliveries of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, announced during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington, will not contribute to settling the conflict or prevent Russia from achieving its goals.
Speaking to reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the Patriot shipment: “This is not conducive to a quick settlement, quite the opposite. And this cannot prevent the Russian Federation from achieving its goals during the special military operation,” using the Russian term for the war.
Peskov said there were no calls for peace or signs of a willingness to “listen to Russia’s concerns” during Zelensky’s visit on Wednesday, proving the United States is waging a proxy war with Russia “down to the last Ukrainian.”
Matt Mathers December 22, 2022 11:15 am
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The crucial US spending bill that will determine Ukraine’s military future
Congress is considering $1.7 trillion in government funding, with supporters pointing to a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week as another reason to advance the measure as a sign of support for the beleaguered nation.
The measure includes $44.9 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine and NATO allies, more than even President Joe Biden’s emergency request, and ensures that funding will go toward the war effort for months to come. The measure would also increase U.S. defense spending by about 10 percent to $858 billion, addressing concerns from some lawmakers that more investment in the nation’s military is needed to keep America safe.
Both houses would have to pass the measure before midnight Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Josh Marcus December 22, 2022 11:00 am
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The EU will hold a summit with Zelensky in the new year
The 27 heads of state and government of the European Union and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold a summit in February next year, but the venue has not been decided.
“I can confirm that the EU-Ukraine summit will take place on February 3 and there is an open invitation to President Zelensky to visit Brussels,” said Barend Leits, a spokesman for the EU leaders’ presidency.
The spokesperson said that the invitation to President Zelensky to visit Brussels does not mean that the summit will be held there.
Officials said the topic of the meeting is likely to be how the EU can continue to support Ukraine against Russia. The leaders will also assess Ukraine’s path to membership in the bloc.
President Zelensky has regularly appeared via video link at EU summits since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February. He made his first personal trip since the start of the war to Washington on Wednesday.
Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the US Congress in his first trip abroad since the Russian invasion
(Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Sam Rkaina December 22, 2022 10:16 am
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Is the war in Ukraine really just a US “proxy” fight against Russia?
Andrew Buncombe of The Independent explores the question in his latest Voices column.
As the months passed, US involvement in the conflict also became deeper and more intertwined.
Initially, the US was content to call on Putin to withdraw his forces. Soon US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called for Russia to be “weakened” as a nation and unable to launch such an operation again. Earlier this month, the US caved in to Kyiv’s demands and sent its most capable defense system, the Patriot missile.
If there was any lingering doubt that what’s happening in Ukraine is now a full-blown proxy war for the US, it was put to rest by Zelensky’s visit to Washington this week, his first outside the country since the invasion began.
Josh Marcus December 22, 2022 10:00 am
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Zaporozhye Safe Zone Talks ‘Closed’, Says Russian Nuclear Firm
Talks with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi on a safe zone around Ukraine’s Russia-held Zaporozhye nuclear power plant will continue, Moscow’s state-run nuclear power company Rosatom said.
The firm said the two sides’ positions were “close” to each other.
Andy Gregory 22 December 2022 09:26
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Zelensky outlines his version of a “just peace” with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was asked by a report from his own country what a “just peace” with Russia would look like, and the wartime leader offered a philosophical answer.
Speaking alongside President Joe Biden in his first appearance with a world leader outside of Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, Mr Zelensky spoke about what the phrase meant and whether achieving such a peaceful end to the war was even possible in its current state.
First he described his own definition of such a resolution: “[N]o compromise on the sovereignty, freedom and territorial integrity of my country’, as well as reparations for the damage caused by Russian forces during their invasion. It is expected to mark the end of Russian occupation of the breakaway regions annexed by Moscow since the conflict began in 2014.
But Mr Zelensky went on to say that for many parents of those killed by Russian forces in the brutal war, a “just peace” would mean seeking revenge for the deaths of their loved ones.
John Bowden knows the details.
Josh Marcus December 22, 2022 09:00 am
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EXPLAINED: How the latest US aid is making Ukraine stronger
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s presence in Washington on Wednesday puts a dramatic exclamation point on the Biden administration’s latest announcement of military aid to the war-torn nation.
In ways big and small, the massive $1.85 billion package will expand the ability of Zelenskyi’s troops to absorb incoming Russian airstrikes and continue counteroffensives to repel invading troops. It also allows President Joe Biden to fulfill his commitment to one of Zelensky’s most urgent battlefield requests — a Patriot missile battery.
And more help to come. In addition to the aid announced Wednesday, Congress is poised to approve an additional $45 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. The money is part of a massive government funding bill that will support Ukraine not only next year but in some cases into 2025, ensuring continued aid even as the House of Representatives shifts to Republican control.
Lolita Baldor and Tara Cope have the story.
Josh Marcus December 22, 2022 8:43 am
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US aid to Ukraine “is not charity,” says Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky told the US Congress that aid to Ukraine was an investment in democracy, not charity – as he tried to ease Republican concerns about the amount of funding given to Ukraine since the start of the war before they took control of the House to the representatives in two weeks.
“Your money is not charity. This is an investment in global security and democracy, which we treat in the most responsible way,” the Ukrainian president said at a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The world was too interconnected to allow any country to stand aside and feel safe, he added.
Andy Gregory December 22, 2022 08:22 am
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Belarus is ‘discreetly’ training thousands of Russian reservists in ‘role reversal’, UK claims
Belarus is likely to have recently begun “discreetly” training thousands of newly mobilized Russian reservists, with Moscow relying on forces it generally considers inferior to…
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