Ukraine war live updates: Zelenskyy's visit to Washington hailed a historic success; Kyiv's energy situation remains dire - CNBC

In a telephone with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that determination had been nary signs of readiness for bid talks during Zelenskiy's visit, and that this was grounds that the United States was warring a proxy warfare with Russia "to the past Ukrainian".

— Reuters

Russian forces shelled the confederate portion of Kherson 60 times connected Wednesday, according to a Ukrainian official.

Yaroslav Yanushevych, caput of the Kherson determination subject administration, said connected Telegram that 1 idiosyncratic had died and six others were injured successful the attacks, according to a Google translation of his post.

He added that the portion had been shelled 60 times, utilizing artillery, mortars, aggregate motorboat rocket systems and tanks. Residential neighborhoods had travel nether fire, Yanushevych added, arsenic good arsenic the shipyard, backstage and flat buildings.

CNBC was incapable to instantly verify the accusation successful the post.

— Holly Ellyatt

The energy supplier covering the Kyiv portion has warned that determination is "no alteration for the better" arsenic the superior and surrounding country conflict with powerfulness outages — with immoderate areas having nary powerfulness since drone attacks connected Monday damaged much vigor infrastructure.

Sergey Kovalenko, the CEO of Yasno, a large backstage vigor supplier covering the Kyiv region, said connected Facebook Wednesday nighttime that "the proviso concern successful Kyiv is the toughest successful the state today. There are those areas that person airy astir 5 hours a day. There are those with airy 2-3 hours a day. And determination are those without airy astatine each from the past shelling," helium said, according to a NBC translation.

"The metropolis cannot gully powerfulness from the country's vigor strategy owed to harm to high-voltage equipment," helium added.

Kovalenko added that the cardinal occupation facing the metropolis close present was not powerfulness generation, but damaged powerfulness networks, peculiarly transformers and substations.

"Does it get immoderate amended than now? Maybe erstwhile the repair enactment is over," helium said. "Can it get immoderate worse? Yes, if we get changeable astatine again," helium said. More precisely, the concern would get worse if the remaining functioning instrumentality is damaged, helium said.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia's state Belarus is apt taking a discreet but important relation successful grooming Russian reservists, according to Britain's Ministry of Defense.

Reflecting connected Russian President Vladimir Putin's sojourn to Minsk earlier this week to conscionable his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, the U.K. said discussions determination included speech of a "single defence space."

"Although Russia and Belarus prominently publicise Russian units' deployments into Belarus, the equipped forces of Belarus person apt precocious taken connected a significant, but much discreet relation successful grooming thousands of recently mobilised Russian reservists," the ministry said successful an quality update connected Twitter.

"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," it added.

Although Russia and Belarus person an extended inheritance of subject cooperation, the grooming of mobilized Russian unit by Belarusians represents thing of a relation reversal, the U.K. said.

"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." 

— Holly Ellyatt

At the adjacent of an historical code to Congress, Zelenskyy presented House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Vice President Kamala Harris with a unsocial gift: A emblem from the metropolis that has go the spiritual epicenter of Ukraine's absorption to the Russian invasion.

"When I was successful Bakhmut yesterday, our heroes gave maine the conflict flag, the emblem of those who support Ukraine, Europe and the satellite astatine the outgo of their lives," said Zelenskyy. "They asked maine to bring this emblem to you, to the U.S. Congress, to members of the House of Representatives and Senators whose decisions tin prevention millions of people."

"So fto these decisions beryllium taken. Let this emblem enactment with you, ladies and gentlemen. This emblem is simply a awesome of our triumph successful this war. We stand, we fight, and we volition triumph due to the fact that we are united, Ukraine, America and the full escaped world," helium said. Pelosi and Harris gave Zelenskyy an American emblem that was flown implicit the U.S. Capitol earlier successful the day.

The tiny metropolis of Bakhmut successful eastbound Ukraine has seen immoderate of the fiercest hand-to-hand warring of the warfare successful caller months, as some Ukraine and Russia person bestowed outsized value connected the city's worth arsenic a symbolic and strategical prize.

The Bakhmut emblem presumption was 1 of respective moments successful Zelenskyy's code during which helium made a constituent of acknowledging the important relation that Congress plays successful approving U.S. overseas assistance to countries similar Ukraine.

The timing was nary accident: Both chambers of Congress are acceptable to ballot successful the coming days connected a national backing measure that contains $44.9 cardinal successful subject and economical assistance for Ukraine.

— Christina Wilkie

Four days earlier Christmas, Zelenskyy painted a vivid representation of however his state would observe the holiday, contempt being nether adjacent changeless Russian artillery onslaught and with millions of radical without energy oregon moving h2o successful freezing temperatures.

"We'll observe Christmas, and adjacent if determination is nary electricity, the airy of our religion successful ourselves volition not beryllium enactment out," helium said successful a rousing code to a associated gathering of Congress. "If Russian missiles onslaught us, we'll bash our champion to support ourselves. If they onslaught america with Iranian drones and our radical person to spell to weaponry shelters connected Christmas Eve, Ukrainians volition inactive beryllium down astatine the vacation array and cheer up each other," helium said.

"We don't don't person to cognize everyone's wish, arsenic we cognize that each of america millions of Ukrainians privation the same. Victory, lone victory."

— Christina Wilkie

Zelenskyy received large applause from the U.S. Congress Wednesday nighttime arsenic helium compared Ukraine's combat for its endurance to U.S. battles from World War II and the American Revolution.

Zelenskyy compared Ukraine's ongoing antiaircraft basal against Russian troops successful the eastbound of the state astir Bakhmut to American troops' palmy defence against German troops successful the Battle of the Bulge successful 1944. Both battles raged done the Christmas season.

Zelenskyy went connected to accidental helium hopes for a turning constituent successful the Ukraine warfare successful 2023, akin to American revolutionaries' triumph astatine Saratoga. At that bid of battles successful 1777, Americans defeated imperial British troops successful Upstate New York.

France began openly supplying the Americans with arms aft Saratoga. Continued weapons shipments were portion of Zelenskyy's plea earlier Congress.

"We Ukrainians volition besides acquisition our warfare of independency with dignity and success," the Ukrainian president said.

— Ted Kemp

Zelenskyy was frank astir the request for much assistance from the U.S. Congress and the United States successful bid for Ukraine to thrust Russian forces from his country.

"We person artillery. Yes. We person it. Is it enough? Honestly, not really," helium said successful a memorable code to a associated gathering of Congress.

"I judge determination should beryllium nary taboos betwixt america successful our alliance. Ukraine ne'er asked the American soldiers to combat connected our onshore alternatively of us," helium said. "And I guarantee you that Ukrainian soldiers tin perfectly run American tanks and planes themselves."

"Financial assistance is besides critically important, and I would similar to convey you, convey you precise much," Zelenskyy continued. "Thank you for some fiscal packages you person already provided america with and the ones you whitethorn beryllium consenting to determine on."

"Your wealth is not charity. It is an concern successful planetary information and democracy, that we grip successful the astir liable way."

Zelenskyy's assurance astir Ukrainian stewardship of U.S. funds came arsenic Congress prepares to authorize a $44.9 cardinal subject and humanitarian assistance bundle for Ukraine implicit the coming year.

One of the goals of Zelenskyy's last-minute travel to Washington was to steadfast up enactment for this aid.

— Christina Wilkie

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a agelong lasting ovation from members of Congress and Cabinet secretaries successful the House enclosure contiguous arsenic helium arrived to springiness an historical code to a associated league of the legislature.

Both Republicans and Democrats stood and clapped and cheered for astatine slightest 2 minutes.

""It's excessively overmuch for me," Zelenskyy said astatine the podium, placing his manus to his heart. "All this for our large people. Thank you."

Russia's accrued attacks connected civilian infrastructure and "civilian targets" successful Ukraine necessitated the gathering betwixt Biden and Zelenskyy, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said connected MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

"As wintertime approaches, these kinds of attacks against infrastructure are truly changing the look and the quality of the war," Kirby said. "The president felt it was important to person this look to look gathering with President Zelenskyy to sermon the mode forward."

Kirby said Biden would item plans for aerial defence assistance erstwhile the president speaks Wednesday and marque it wide the Ukraine has the afloat backing of the United States.

The caller civilian targets, Kirby said, are different illustration of however Russian President Vladimir Putin shows "no involvement astatine each successful trying to find a way retired of this war."

— Emma Kinery