+++ 00:52 Drone attacks on Kiev and the surrounding area +++

Explosions shake the Ukrainian capital Kiev. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, air defenses are being deployed against Russian drones. The Russian forces had targeted areas near the city center. There had also been explosions in the historic Podil district. An air alert had been triggered. The authorities are also warning of possible missile attacks on Kiev and the surrounding area. Russia has stepped up its air strikes on Ukraine in recent days, using drones, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles and cruise missiles.

+++ 00:29 Macron: Orban must not hold the EU hostage +++According to French President Macron, the next few months will be crucial for both Hungary and the EU. Hungarian Prime Minister Orban must therefore not be allowed to hold the international community hostage, Macron said at the end of the EU summit with regard to the planned multi-million euro aid for Ukraine. Due to a veto by Hungary, the other heads of state and government were unable to approve a revision of the EU budget, including a 50 billion euro financial aid package for Ukraine, as planned this Friday. The negotiations will therefore have to be continued next year.

+++ 22:48 Putin warns against "interference" in presidential election +++Russian head of state Putin warns foreign countries against any "interference" in next year's presidential election. Any interference in Russia's internal affairs will be "severely suppressed", Putin said at a televised meeting with the heads of the parties represented in parliament. Putin announced his candidacy for another term as president last week. The election will take place next March, around two years after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

+++ 21:58 First "Leopard 2" tanks in Lithuania have been repaired +++Thefirst "Leopard 2" tanks have been repaired in Lithuania following their deployment in Ukraine. The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense writes on X that the tanks are ready to return to the front.

+++ 21:27 Russia: 26 drones shot down over Crimea +++Russiaaccuses Ukraine of a major drone attack on Crimea. This has been stopped, writes the Russian Ministry of Defense on Telegram. Within two hours, 26 Ukrainian drones were shot down in the evening. On Telegram, the Ukrainian armed forces confirm explosions in Sevastopol, the Simferopol area and Dzhankoy, among others.

+++ 21:08 Explosions reported in Crimea, Sevastopol announces downing of drone +++++Reports of explosions are coming fromRussia-occupied Crimea. According to the Telegram channels Krym.Realii and Krymskii Veter, local residents are reporting explosions in various places on the peninsula - for example in Dzhankoy and in the Simferopol area. The governor of the port city of Sevastopol, Mikhail Rasvoshayev, who was appointed by Moscow, only confirmed on Telegram that a drone had been shot down. The air defenses in Sevastopol were active. There was no damage to the infrastructure, he continued. This information cannot be independently verified. In many cases, it turns out afterwards that the Ukrainian shelling did cause damage that is not officially reported.

+++ 20:48 Russia reports drone launches over its own territory +++Ukrainiandrones are said to have flown over the Russian region of Kursk, which borders north-eastern Ukraine. According to Governor Roman Starovoit, the air defense is active in the evening. Four drones have been shot down, according to both Starovit and the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow.

+++ 20:20 Dozens of Ukrainian children allegedly tortured +++ Kievaccuses the Russian armed forces of killing at least 512 Ukrainian children and injuring 1158 others since the start of the war. This was stated by Dmytro Lubinez, the government's human rights commissioner, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. At a meeting of the Committee for the Protection of Ukrainian Children in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, he reported war crimes against children, he said. The number of victims is increasing daily. At least 13 girls and boys have also been victims of sexual violence and at least 75 children have been tortured by the Russian military, says Lubinez, citing figures from the General Prosecutor's Office.

+++ 19:28 Kiev announces new foreign policy initiatives +++Accordingto President Zelensky, Ukraine wants to mobilize support for its defence against the Russian invasion with further foreign policy initiatives. Ukraine wants to talk to Europe, the USA and other supporters, he announced, without giving details. "We will do our best to ensure that Ukraine is strong and that we can all be confident next year." Selensky returned on Thursday from a trip abroad to Argentina, the USA and Norway. In the USA, his campaign for new aid was initially unsuccessful because US funds for Kiev are blocked by a dispute between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. However, the fact that the EU heads of state and government have agreed to host talks with Ukraine is considered a major success.

+++ 19:02 Russians are probably making little progress in Marjinka +++Accordingto British military experts, heavy fighting is continuing around the south-eastern Ukrainian town of Marjinka and the surrounding area. This is according to the daily intelligence report from the Ministry of Defense in London on the war in Ukraine. Russia has further reduced the small areas that are still under Ukrainian control. However, an operationally significant Russian breakthrough in this sector is highly unlikely, according to the British assessment. Marjinka is located almost 30 kilometers southwest of the city center of Donetsk. The town had around 9,000 inhabitants before the war, but is now almost completely destroyed.

+++ 18:31 World Bank provides new financial aid +++Accordingto a report, theWorld Bank announces additional financial aid for Ukraine. As the news agency Ukrinform writes, citing the bank, 1.34 billion US dollars are to be made available for government spending. The money should enable Ukraine to continue paying pensions, salaries for teachers and rescue workers as well as social benefits for internally displaced persons. The financing package consists of a loan of more than 1 billion dollars from the World Bank, loans from a fund supported by the Japanese government, and grants from the USA and Switzerland.

+++ 18:00 Scholz on Orban's break: "This is for special moments" +++ChancellorScholz does not want to make coffee breaks for the Hungarian head of government Orban a rule at EU summits in order to circumvent his vetoes. "It can't be solved every time by walking out the door," says Scholz at the end of the summit in Brussels. "This is for special moments." Scholz had proposed a short time-out to Orban to enable the member states to reach an agreement on accession negotiations with Ukraine. Orban agreed after a short period of reflection, explained Scholz. "Then we made the decision to 26 in the room." However, Scholz emphasized that it was "not a trick", but an offer of help for Orban. "It is a decision that we made by mutual agreement in accordance with our rules." However, the chancellor added: "This is not something that should be done every time."

+++ 17:30 Ukrainian judiciary investigating whether Russia used prisoners of war as human shields +++TheUkrainian General Prosecutor's Office is investigating a possible war crime in the Zaporizhzhya region. Russian soldiers are said to have used Ukrainian prisoners of war as human shields during fighting there. The starting point for the investigation was a video published by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. It allegedly shows Ukrainian prisoners of war being forced at gunpoint to run towards Ukrainian lines. The news portal "Kyiv Independent" also writes that information about the case has already been passed on to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

+++ 17:04 Scholz: Ukraine will definitely receive 50 billion euros +++According to Chancellor Scholz, Ukraine will definitely receive the 50 billion euros in aid agreed by 26 EU governments at the EU summit - even if Hungary continues to block an agreement on the EU budget. In the event that Hungarian Prime Minister Orban does not give in at a special summit planned for January, Scholz added: "We have other options to help Ukraine." However, the attempt to find a solution within the framework of the normal budget should not be abandoned. He is optimistic that this will succeed. Scholz rejects Orban's demandto release the EU funds frozen due to rule of law violations in Hungary in return for giving up his veto. This "cannot be mixed up".

+++ 16:32 Von der Leyen promises solution to blocked Ukraine aid - without Hungary if necessary +++++EU Commission PresidentUrsula Von der Leyen promises a solution to the blockage of aid payments to Ukraine. Her authority will use the time until the next EU summit to find a solution. A path without Hungary, which has so far been the only long country to refuse, is not ruled out. Due to a veto by Hungary, the other heads of state and government were unable to approve a 50 billion euro financial aid package for Ukraine as planned. The negotiations were therefore broken off last night. Another summit meeting is to be held in January.

+++ 16:04 Kremlin condemns US-Finnish military agreement +++Russiacondemns a planned military cooperation between Finland and the US, which would give the US military access to 15 Finnish bases and training areas. "Of course. We can only regret this," Kremlin spokesman Peskov told Interfax agency when asked by journalists whether the stationing of US troops in Finland would lead to an increase in tensions. The USA has already recently concluded such an agreement with Sweden and will be allowed to use 17 Swedish military facilities in the future. The agreement with Finland is to be signed on Monday. Finland has been a NATO member since April. The accession was a reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sweden has also applied to join NATO.

+++ 15:30 Actions for Navalny planned in German cities +++Actionsfor the imprisoned Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny are planned invarious German cities this weekend. There are to be vigils in Berlin and Hamburg, among other places. "Where is Navalny?" ask the initiators of the "#FreeNavalny in Germany" campaign. According to his supporters, the Kremlin critic has been taken from prison near Moscow to an unknown location. A court has confirmed that he is no longer in the Vladimir region. "But we still don't know where he is," says Navalny's spokeswoman." Navalny allegedly left the prison camp on December 11. The lawyers have had no contact with him since December 6. The Russian presidential office reiterates that nothing is known about Navalny's whereabouts.

+++ 15:00 Habeck: Putin believes he can bring down the West +++"Putin believes he can bring down the West in a long war of attrition," says Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck to t-online with regard to Russia's president. "That we have less stamina than he does. And unfortunately, in the USA, for example, support for Ukraine is crumbling, not with President Biden, but with the Republicans." Putin wants to destroy the European post-war order. "In this situation, Germany must stand ready to assume increasing responsibility."

+++ 14:33 Bundeswehr teaches Ukrainians with an emotional wall at a rapid pace +++Highly trainedsoldiers or people who have never held a weapon before: They all come to Germany from Ukraine to be trained by the Bundeswehr. Within weeks, they learn what other soldiers have months to learn. To make matters worse, the reality of war requires constant rethinking.

+++ 13:53 Estonia supports Ukraine with 80 million euros in military aid +++Estoniais providing Ukraine with 80 million euros in military aid. The package also includes Javelin anti-tank missiles. This was announced by the Estonian Ministry of Defense at X. "Ukraine's fight for freedom can only be successful if the allies continue to help the Ukrainians," it said.

+++ 13:30 Hand grenades explode at council meeting: 26 people injured in western Ukraine +++26 people have been injured in an explosion of hand grenades during a meeting of the Kerezky village council in the Transcarpathian region. As reported by the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform, the National Police announced this on Telegram. Six of those affected were seriously injured. According to reports, a member of parliament is said to have detonated hand grenades in the village council building and died as a result. The Transcarpathian Oblast is located in the west of the country.

+++ 13:11 Kremlin praises Orban's veto against Ukraine aid - "impresses us" +++Russiawelcomes the blocking of new EU aid for Ukraine by Hungary's head of government Viktor Orban. "Hungary is a sovereign country. It has its own interests," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "And unlike many other European countries, Hungary defends its interests resolutely, which impresses us." Orban is the only EU head of government to maintain close relations with the Kremlin, despite the Russian offensive in Ukraine. On Friday night, he vetoed further economic aid amounting to 50 billion euros for Ukraine. However, he refrained from blocking the accession negotiations with Ukraine and neighboring Moldova, which he had also rejected.

+++ 12:53 Ukrainian military fends off five attacks by Russian saboteurs +++Russiansabotage groups have attempted to infiltrate Ukraine seven times in the last two weeks. According to a report in the Kyiv Independent newspaper, this was announced by the Ukrainian military. They were caught red-handed by Ukrainian troops in five of these attempts, said Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev. According to him, the Russian groups withdrew after suffering losses. However, Naiev did not explain what happened in the two cases when the saboteurs could not be discovered in time. According to the report, the incidents took place in the northern Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts and in the eastern Kharkiv oblast.

+++ 12:36 Kremlin expects destabilization of the EU due to Ukraine's planned accession +++According to the Kremlin, Russiaexpects the planned accession of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to destabilize the European Union. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the EU had wanted to show its support by starting negotiations to admit the countries, but that it was not going through "the best of times", especially in economic terms. "There is no doubt that such new members can effectively destabilize the EU." The EU took the decision to begin negotiations yesterday. Russia itself had great influence in the former Soviet republics for decades - and now fears losing the important agricultural state of Moldova as a trading partner after Ukraine. From the perspective of the countries that are among the poorest states in Eastern Europe and the EU, however, Russia itself is the biggest destabilizing factor in the region.

+++ 12:08 After cyberattack: Mobile internet also restored in Kiev +++Severaldays after a serious cyberattack, Ukraine's largest mobile phone provider has largely restored its services. Mobile Internet via Kyivstar is now also available again in the capital Kiev, as a reporter confirmed to Deutsche Presse-Agentur on site. The company had previously announced that it had reconnected mobile internet connections in the western part of the country. Phone calls had already been possible again nationwide via the company's own mobile network since Thursday. Kyivstar's network had failed completely on Tuesday morning, presumably following an act of Russian sabotage. The provider claims to have a good 24 million customers. The mobile internet outage is unprecedented in the country's history.

+++ 11:39 German government launches multi-million euro winter aid package for Ukraine +++TheGerman government is launching a further aid package for Ukraine worth 6.1 million euros with a view to the winter. This was announced by the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin. The Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) is currently preparing to transport more than 500 additional power generators. In addition, heaters, camp beds, tents, living containers, winter sleeping bags, winter clothing, a mobile field kitchen and two drinking water treatment plants are being provided.

+++ 11:02 USA: EU decision on Ukraine is a "historic moment for Europe" +++TheUSA praises the European Union's decision to open negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the Union. The decision is a "strong endorsement" of their respective "European futures" and a "historic moment" for Europe, said Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US State Department, according to a statement. The EU countries agreed yesterday to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant Georgia candidate status. The US "continues to strongly support the EU enlargement process, and we look forward to helping EU candidate and potential candidate countries continue important reforms on the path to EU membership," Miller said.

+++ 10:34 ntv correspondent Munz: EU decision on Ukraine "is a defeat for Putin" +++TheEU has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine. This is a defeat for Russia's head of state Vladimir Putin. However, it is a defeat that the Russian ruler had expected anyway, writes ntv correspondent Rainer Munz. The decision will not change Moscow's war aims.

+++ 10:18 Orban demands release of all EU funds for Hungary in return for approval of Ukraine aid +++Hungarian head of government Viktor Orban has made his approval of further EU aid for Ukraine dependent on the release of blocked EU funds for his country. Hungary is demanding "not half, not a quarter, but everything", Orban said in an interview on Hungarian radio, referring to EU funds amounting to twelve billion euros that are still being withheld due to rule of law violations. At yesterday's EU summit, the Hungarian head of government vetoed the disbursement of further EU aid for Ukraine amounting to 50 billion euros.

+++ 10:01 Slovakian hauliers end border blockade with Ukraine +++TheSlovakian hauliers' association Unas ended its blockade of the only truck border crossing with Ukraine on Friday night. Shortly before the blockade in Vysne Nemecke was broken off, Unas chairman Stanislav Skala told the news agency TASR: "There is so much pressure on us from the Ukrainian side that it is no longer bearable." Yesterday evening, however, Unas announced that the end of the blockade would take place at the request of the security forces at the border. This request was respected "because they had also respected our right to protest". The Slovakian transport companies had started an "indefinite" blockade of the border crossing on Monday. There had already been short-term blockades before that. The actions were justified by the fact that they - like their Polish and Hungarian colleagues - wanted to draw attention to the disadvantages of domestic hauliers compared to their cheaper Ukrainian competitors.

+++ 09:31 Kiev: Russian army again loses more than 1000 soldiers in one day +++According toofficial figures from Kiev, 1090 Russian soldiers have lost their lives in the war within one day. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, a total of 343,890 Russian soldiers have been "eliminated" since the start of the war in February 2022. This means they have been killed or are no longer able to continue fighting. As the Ministry of Defense states in its daily data on Russian losses, the enemy has lost 14 more tanks (5705), among other things. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has counted more than 10,600 armored vehicles and more than 6,200 drones that are no longer in the possession of the Russian military or have been destroyed. The data cannot be independently verified. Moscow itself is withholding information on its own losses in Ukraine.

+++ 08:57 Orban: Hungary can still block Ukraine's accession to the EU +++Hungarycan still block Ukraine's accession to the EU, according to its Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He calls yesterday's decision by the EU summit to open accession talks a "bad decision". He did not want to support it and therefore left the room, he said on state radio. This was the only way to achieve the necessary unanimity of the EU heads of state and government. At the end of the "very long process", however, the Hungarian parliament could still prevent Ukraine from joining the EU if necessary, says Orban.

+++ 08:26 Sweden pays 124 million euros in winter aid to Ukraine +++TheSwedish government approves a winter aid package for Ukraine amounting to 124 million euros, which Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had announced a few days earlier. Sweden's representation in the EU at X writes: "Ukraine is fighting for its survival and for Europe's security and freedom. This is a crucial time to support Ukraine." The money is earmarked for civil infrastructure. "The future of Ukraine is in the EU," the communication states.

+++ 07:54 Ukraine: 14 drones shot down overnight +++TheUkrainian military says it has intercepted all 14 drones that Russian forces fired at Ukraine on Friday night. They were shot down in the regions of Mykolaiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi and Poltava, the air force explained on the short message service Telegram.

+++ 07:16 US Congress approves record defense budget - with limited aid for Ukraine +++TheUS Congress approves a record defense budget by a large majority. The Republican-dominated House of Representatives votes in favor of the bill with a volume of 886 billion dollars, three percent more than in the previous year. On Wednesday, the Senate voted in favour of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA also extends part of the Ukraine aid until the end of 2026 in the amount of 300 million dollars per year. However, US President Joe Biden has asked Congress for 61 billion dollars. No agreement has yet been reached on this. The annual military budget includes everything from pay rises for troops - this year by 5.2 percent - to the purchase of ships, ammunition and aircraft and political measures such as support for Ukraine and action against China in the Indo-Pacific region. It will be passed separately from the regular federal budget and is one of the few legislative packages that both major parties can agree on in the current political climate.

+++ 06:43 Five more children abducted by Russia are back in Ukraine +++Once again, several abducted Ukrainian children have been brought back to the country. According to the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform, five children have been returned from the occupation. This was announced on Telegram by the head of the Kherson regional military administration, Oleksandr Prokudin. Two of them have families and it was possible to bring them back together with their parents. Prokudin reported that they are now all in a safe place and are being provided with the necessary assistance. According to information from Kiev, Russia has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children since the beginning of the war.

+++ 06:28 Defense Minister Umerov: "Do everything to ensure that Ukraine also becomes part of NATO" +++Justlike Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, his Defense Minister Rustem Umerov also describes the decision to open EU accession negotiations as a victory for Ukraine and Europe. "The great victory! Today Ukraine is a shield for Europe, and soon we will be a full member of the European Union," Umerov wrote on X. He also emphasized that NATO membership remains the government's goal. "For my part, I am doing everything to ensure that Ukraine also becomes part of NATO."

+++ 06:09 Mützenich calls for more diplomatic initiative - "War cannot be ended on the battlefield" +++SPD parliamentary group leaderRolf Mützenich calls for a greater diplomatic effort by Germany to isolate Russia with a view to ending the war in Ukraine. "First of all, all political leaders should come to the realization that this war cannot be ended on the battlefield. Because Russia will do everything in its power to prevent a military defeat," Mützenich told the Düsseldorf newspaper "Rheinische Post" in advance. Putin will be able to continue "the war of attrition" for a very long time. "The German government should take a new diplomatic initiative in 2024 and hold talks with China and countries of the global South to a much greater extent than before," said the SPD parliamentary group leader.

+++ 05:29 Rutte "quite confident" about financial aid +++DutchPrime Minister Mark Rutte expects an agreement to be reached soon on new financial aid for Ukraine. "We still have some time, Ukraine will not run out of money in the next few weeks," Rutte emphasized after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked a 50 billion euro package. "I am quite confident that we can reach an agreement early next year, we are thinking of the end of January," Rutte added. The money is intended to help Ukraine stabilize its domestic economy in the fight against Russia until 2027.

+++ 03:28 Orban blocks new financial aid for Ukraine +++HungarianPrime Minister Viktor Orban blocks new financial aid for Ukraine at the EU summit in Brussels. "Veto against the additional funds for Ukraine", wrote the Hungarian head of government on the night of X. It was actually supposed to be decided to earmark a total of 50 billion euros to support Ukraine in the coming years. In addition, further funds were to be made available for the protection of Europe's external borders and European competitiveness, which have now also been blocked. According to EU Council President Charles Michel, a new attempt is planned after the turn of the year.

Read morehere.

+++ 02:33 Negotiations on Ukraine aid: US Senate postpones winter recess +++TheUS Senate postpones its winter recess due to further negotiations on the continuation of Ukraine aid. "The Senate will return on Monday," said the Democratic majority leader in the chamber of Congress, Chuck Schumer, late in the evening. US President Joe Biden had asked the US Congress in October to approve a 61 billion dollar aid package. The Democrats support the aid, while many Republicans oppose it for domestic political reasons. The senators were supposed to have agreed on a text by Thursday evening before work was to be interrupted for the holidays.

+++ 00:06 German drone manufacturer builds factory in Ukraine +++TheGerman drone company Quantum Systems is planning production facilities in Ukraine. As the Ukrainian technology website DOU reports, a research and development center is to be opened first. Later, spare parts and, within a few years, entire drones are to be manufactured in the production facility. Quantum Systems has been supporting Ukraine with dozens of reconnaissance drones since the Russian invasion in 2022. In spring, the company also opened a service, support, training and logistics center in Ukraine, where Ukrainians are taught how to use the drones.

+++ 22:36 Selenskyj: EU accession negotiations are a "victory for Ukraine" +++Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj describes the decision to open EU accession negotiations with his country as a victory for Ukraine and Europe as a whole. "A victory that motivates, inspires and strengthens", writes the head of state on X. He thanked everyone involved in the decision. "History is made by those who never tire of fighting for freedom."

+++ 22:25 EU states agree on twelfth package of Russia sanctions +++TheEU states agree on a new package of sanctions against Russia. This was confirmed by a spokesperson for EU Council President Charles Michel on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels. The package provides for the introduction of an import ban on diamonds and a tightening of the price cap on Russian oil exports to third countries, which has hardly had any effect recently. In addition, trade restrictions are planned for other goods as well as punitive measures against individuals and organizations that support the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

+++ 21:56 Finland closes border with Russia again +++Finlandcloses its border with Russia again after briefly opening two crossings. The eastern border will be completely closed again from Friday at 8 p.m. until January 14, according to the Finnish government. Finland gradually closed the border crossings to its eastern neighbor Russia in November. In the weeks prior to this, the Finnish border guard had registered a sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers, mainly from the Middle East, who entered the country from Russia without the necessary documents and applied for asylum in Finland. Finland accused Russia of deliberately bringing these people to the border of the EU and NATO state in order to create problems for the country.

+++ 21:09 Lithuania bans professional soldiers from traveling to certain countries +++Lithuaniabans the professional soldiers of its army from traveling to countries that pose a threat to national security for non-military purposes. The parliament in Vilnius passed a corresponding amendment to the law. According to the amendment, the government of the Baltic EU and NATO country is to determine the countries and territories to which members of the armed forces are not permitted to travel. A preliminary list of these countries published by the Ministry of Defense at the beginning of December included Russia and its occupied Black Sea peninsula Crimea, Belarus, China and several Central Asian republics.

+++ 20:16 Another German Patriot system arrives in Ukraine +++Asannounced, Ukraine received a second Patriot air defense system from Germany before the end of the year. Missiles for the Patriot were also delivered, the German government announced in its list of arms aid. According to the updated list, Ukraine will also receive a further nine Bandvagn tracked multi-purpose vehicles and 7390 155-caliber artillery shells. Germany is also sending three further mobile remote-controlled mine-clearing devices and eight tankers.

You can read about all previous developments here.