Ukraine news – live: Zelensky invited to visit EU next year to discuss more support for war effort - The Independent

EU invites Zelenksy to sermon much enactment for warfare effort

The president of the European Union’s 27 leaders Charles Michel and the caput of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen volition clasp a acme with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky connected 3 February adjacent year, an EU spokesperson said connected Thursday.

The determination of the acme has not been determined yet.

"I tin corroborate the EU-Ukraine acme volition instrumentality spot connected 3 February and determination is an unfastened invitation to President Zelensky to sojourn Brussels," said Barend Leyts, spokesperson for the president of EU leaders.

He said the invitation for Zelensky to sojourn Brussels did not mean that’s wherever the acme would beryllium held.

Officials said the taxable of the acme was apt to beryllium however the EU tin proceed to enactment Ukraine against Russia. The leaders of the EU’s 2 cardinal institutions - the Commission and the assembly of EU leaders - would besides measure Ukraine’s way to rank successful the bloc.

Zelensky has made regular appearances via video-link astatine EU summits since the commencement of the Russian penetration successful February. He made his archetypal in-person travel since the commencement of the warfare to Washington connected Wednesday.

Matt Mathers22 December 2022 11:19

US rocket woody won’t halt Russia achieving subject goals - Kremlin

Russia said connected Thursday that US supplies of Patriot rocket systems to Ukraine, announced during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s sojourn to Washington, would not lend to settling the struggle oregon forestall Russia from achieving its goals.

In a telephone with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said of the Patriot shipment: "This is not conducive to a speedy settlement, rather the contrary. And this cannot forestall the Russian Federation from achieving its goals during the peculiar subject operation", utilizing Russia’s word for the war.

Peskov said that determination had been nary calls for bid oregon signs of willingness to "listen to Russia’s concerns" during Zelenskiy’s sojourn connected Wednesday, proving that the United States was warring a proxy warfare with Russia "to the past Ukrainian".

Matt Mathers22 December 2022 11:15

The important US spending measure which volition find Ukraine’s subject future

Congress is considering a $1.7 trillion authorities funding, with supporters pointing to a sojourn by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week arsenic different crushed to beforehand the measurement successful a amusement of enactment for the beleaguered nation.

The measurement includes $44.9 cardinal successful exigency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies, supra adjacent President Joe Biden’s exigency request, and ensures that backing flows to the warfare effort for months to come. The measurement would besides boost U.S. defence spending by astir 10% to $858 billion, addressing concerns from immoderate lawmakers that much concern successful the nation’s subject is needed to guarantee America’s security.

Both houses volition request to walk the measurement earlier midnight Friday to debar a partial-government shutdown.

Kevin Freking reports.

Josh Marcus22 December 2022 11:00

EU to clasp acme with Zelensky successful caller year

The European Union’s 27 heads of authorities and authorities and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky volition clasp a acme successful February adjacent year, but the determination has not been determined.

“I tin corroborate the EU-Ukraine acme volition instrumentality spot connected 3 February and determination is an unfastened invitation to President Zelenskiy to sojourn Brussels,” said Barend Leyts, spokesperson for the president of EU leaders.

The spokesperson said the invitation for President Zelensky to sojourn Brussels did not mean that’s wherever the acme would beryllium held.

Officials said the taxable of the acme was apt to beryllium however the EU tin proceed to enactment Ukraine against Russia. Leaders would besides measure Ukraine’s way to rank successful the bloc.

President Zelensky has made regular appearances via video-link astatine EU summits since the commencement of the Russian penetration successful February. He made his archetypal in-person travel since the commencement of the warfare to Washington connected Wednesday.

Sam Rkaina22 December 2022 10:16

Is the Ukraine warfare truly conscionable a US ‘proxy’ combat against Russia?

The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe explores the question successful his latest Voices column.

He writes:

As the months person gone on, truthful excessively has the US’s engagement successful the struggle had go deeper and much intertwined.

Initially, the US was contented to telephone connected Putin to retreat his forces. Soon, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was calling for Russia to beryllium “weakened” arsenic a nation, and made incapable to motorboat specified an cognition again. Earlier this month, the US gave successful to demands from Kyiv and dispatched its highest capableness defence system, the Patriot missile.

If determination was immoderate lingering uncertainty what is happening successful Ukraine is present a full-on proxy warfare for the US, it was dispatched by the sojourn to Washington DC this week of Zelensky, his archetypal sojourn extracurricular of the state since the penetration began.

Read the afloat story.

Josh Marcus22 December 2022 10:00

Talks connected Zaporizhzhia harmless portion ‘close’, says Russian atomic vigor firm

Talks with International Atomic Energy Agency main Rafael Grossi astir a harmless portion astir Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness works – which is held by Russia – would continue, Moscow’s authorities atomic vigor institution Rosatom has said.

The steadfast said that the 2 sides’ positions were “close” to each other.

Andy Gregory22 December 2022 09:26

Zelensky outlines his mentation of a ‘just peace’ with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was asked by a reported from his ain state astir what a “just peace” with Russia would look like, and the wartime person offered a philosophical answer.

Speaking alongside President Joe Biden successful his archetypal quality with a satellite person extracurricular of Ukraine since Russia’s penetration began, Mr Zelensky pontificated connected what that operation meant and whether reaching specified a peaceful extremity to the warfare was adjacent imaginable successful its existent state.

He firstly described his ain explanation of specified a resolution: “[N]o compromise arsenic to the sovereignty, state and territorial integrity of my country”, arsenic good arsenic reparations for the damages inflicted by Russian forces during their invasion. Presumably, this would mean the extremity of Russian concern successful breakaway regions annexed by Moscow aft the struggle began successful 2014.

But Mr Zelensky went connected to accidental that for galore parents of those killed by Russian forces successful the brutal war, a “just peace” would mean seeking vengeance for the deaths of their loved ones.

John Bowden has the details.

Josh Marcus22 December 2022 09:00

EXPLAINER: How the latest US assistance makes Ukraine stronger

The beingness of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy successful Washington connected Wednesday puts a melodramatic exclamation constituent connected the Biden administration’s latest announcement of subject assistance to the war-torn nation.

In ways large and small, the monolithic $1.85 cardinal bundle volition grow the abilities of Zelenskyy’s troops to instrumentality retired incoming Russian airstrikes and proceed counter-offensives to propulsion backmost against the invading troops. It besides allows President Joe Biden to present his committedness to 1 of Zelenskyy’s astir urgent battlefield requests — a Patriot rocket battery.

And there’s much assistance to come. Beyond the assistance announced Wednesday, Congress is poised to o.k. an further $45 cardinal successful subject and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. The wealth is portion of a monolithic authorities backing measure that would enactment Ukraine not lone adjacent year, but successful immoderate cases into 2025, assuring continued assistance adjacent arsenic the House changes hands to Republican control.

Lolita Baldor and Tara Copp have the story.

Josh Marcus22 December 2022 08:43

US assistance to Ukraine ‘is not charity’, says Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky has told the US Congress that assistance to Ukraine is an concern successful democracy, not foundation – arsenic helium sought to soften Republican concerns implicit the size of backing handed to Ukraine since the warfare began, earlier they presume power of the House of Representatives successful a fortnight.

“Your wealth is not charity. It is an concern successful the planetary information and ideology that we grip successful the astir liable way,” the Ukrainian president told a associated league of the House and Senate.

The satellite was excessively interconnected to let immoderate state to basal speech and consciousness safe, helium added.

Andy Gregory22 December 2022 08:22

Belarus ‘discreetly’ grooming thousands of Russian reservists successful ‘role reversal’, claims UK

It is apt that Belarus has precocious begun “discreetly” grooming thousands of recently mobilised Russian reservists, with Moscow’s reliance upon forces it typically deems inferior to its ain a motion of “overstretch” successful Ukraine, the UK has claimed.

“The apt usage of Belarusian instructors is an effort to partially remediate the deficiency of Russian subject trainers, galore of whom are deployed successful Ukraine oregon person go casualties,” said the British Ministry of Defence, successful an “intelligence update” successful the aftermath of Mr Putin’s sojourn to Minsk connected Monday.

“Although Russia and Belarus person an extended inheritance of subject co-operation, the grooming of mobilised Russian unit by Belarusians represents a relation reversal.

“Belarusian forces person traditionally been considered by Russia arsenic inferior to Russian forces and their employment arsenic trainers is an denotation of overstretch wrong the Russian subject system.”

Andy Gregory22 December 2022 07:54