In a year-end address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that a potential peace agreement was ninety percent complete. "This peace agreement is 90% ready, ten percent is left," he noted. "And that is far more than simply numbers."
A Deal Requires Strong Guarantees, Not a Fragile Truce
Zelenskyy stressed that his country seeks an end to the war but not at "any possible price". "What is it that Ukraine want? Peace? Absolutely. No matter the price? No," he declared. "We want an end to the war but not the destruction of our country."
"Are we tired? Very. Does that imply we are ready to capitulate? Any person who believes that is profoundly mistaken," he added.
He voiced doubt about Moscow's intentions, stating that should forces pulled out from the Donbas region, the conflict would not necessarily cease. "Withdraw from the eastern regions, and it will all be over. That is how a lie sounds," he remarked.
EU Allies to Plan Post-Conflict Guarantees
Separately, France's President Emmanuel Macron announced that EU leaders and allies meeting in Paris on 6 January will make firm pledges towards ensuring the security of the country following a potential agreement with Russia is brokered.
Reciprocal Strikes Continue
Meanwhile, accounts of hostile actions persisted. A source from Kyiv's SBU reported that Ukraine's unmanned aerial vehicles hit an oil depot in the Russian city of Rybinsk, causing a significant blaze.
On the other side, in Ukraine, a Russian drone attack hit apartment buildings and the power grid in Odesa, injuring several people, among them children. Local authorities said multiple buildings were affected and considerable harm was caused to two energy facilities.
Disputed Claims Over Drone Incident
Regarding previous claims of a UAV attack aimed at a residence of Russian leader, American and European authorities agree that Ukrainian forces was not behind the incident. An article indicated that American national security agencies concluded the reported attack "did not happen".
In response, Russia's ministry of defense released a video purporting to show fragments of a downed Ukrainian-made drone. An official from Ukraine's ministry of foreign affairs dismissed the evidence as "absurd" and stated it showed a lack of seriousness in creating the story.
European Official Calls Claims a "Diversion"
Kaja Kallas called Moscow's assertions "a deliberate diversion". "Nobody should believe baseless claims from the invading force," she remarked.
Additional Developments
- DPRK Role: North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, reportedly hailed troops operating in an "alien land" in a new year's message. Intelligence assessments indicate North Korea has sent thousands of troops to aid Russia's invasion in Ukraine.
- Restrictions Reprieve: United States authorities have reportedly given a short-term reprieve from sanctions to a Serbia-based, largely Russian-controlled oil company until late January. This entity manages Serbia's sole oil refinery.
