07:21 End of blockade of Ukrainian border by Polish truck drivers possible

Progress has been made in efforts to lift the blockade of border crossings between Ukraine and Poland by Polish truck drivers. The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure has announced that an "agreement on common positions to unblock the border" has been reached. An "action plan" now provides for talks between the Polish government and the truck drivers. Poland's Deputy Infrastructure Minister Pawel Gancarz explains that he hopes the protests can be ended before the end of the year. The Polish truck drivers have been blocking several border crossings to Ukraine since November 6 and are demanding that the EU reintroduce mandatory permits for Ukrainian truck drivers entering the EU and for EU truck drivers entering Ukraine. The EU had abolished the controls following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Polish truck drivers resumed the blockade of one of the most important border crossings to Ukraine this week after a brief interruption. According to the Polish customs office, the waiting time at the Dorohusk border crossing was 78 hours on Friday.

06:59 "Conquering hearts": mission for Kiev's diplomats
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian diplomats should not only organize weapons for their home countries in the coming year, but also win hearts. In addition to the weapons, the diplomats should also find partners for the expansion of the Ukrainian arms industry in 2024, the Presidential Chancellery in Kiev reported from Zelensky's meeting with his top diplomats. Ukraine's diplomatic representatives should push ahead with the country's closer ties to the EU and NATO. Above all, the key to further rapprochement with the North Atlantic defense alliance "should not be sought in higher political offices", said the President. "We have to convince societies - just as we managed to rally around Ukraine right at the beginning of the war," says Selenskyj. "We have to win over people's hearts."

06:34 Germany sends ammunition and demining equipment to Ukraine
Germany is supplying additional military aid to Ukraine, including tank ammunition, demining equipment and anti-aircraft guns, the German government has announced. According to the report, the deliveries come from Bundeswehr stocks and from contracts with private companies. These were financed by funds from the German government's armaments initiative, among other things. The latest delivery includes ammunition for Leopard tanks, three additional Gepard air defense systems and two additional Wisent mine-clearing tanks. The arms delivery also includes additional reconnaissance drones, border protection vehicles, AMPS self-protection systems for helicopters and trucks as well as medical supplies, according to the statement.

06:09 "Diplomatic masterstroke": Ukrainian ambassador praises Scholz at EU summit
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, praises Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his role at the last EU summit. With a "diplomatic masterstroke", Scholz prevented a possible veto by Hungary, says Makeiev on rbb24 Inforadio. In this way, the Chancellor managed to ensure that the European Union voted in favor of opening accession negotiations with Ukraine. At the EU summit, Scholz had suggested to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that he leave the room for a coffee break so that the assembled heads of state and government could vote on the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine without him. Orban followed this suggestion, so that the representatives of the other 26 member states took the decision for the accession negotiations in his absence. Makeiev also thanked the German government for its support for Ukraine. "This government is doing the right thing," says the diplomat. At the same time, he would like to see Germany take a leading role in supporting Ukraine.

05:33 German ambassador in Moscow: "No fault lines in the Putin system"
The German ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, currently sees no change in Russian President Vladimir Putin's stance on the war in Ukraine. "Putin has just reaffirmed his war aims, he is not at all willing to negotiate," Lambsdorff told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. There is also no indication that Putin will change his stance after the presidential election in March 2024. He does not "currently recognize any fault lines in the Putin system". He also had "no indication" that the Kremlin leader "might not be in good health", said Lambsdorff.

04:06 Ukraine: Three Russian fighter-bombers shot down
The Ukrainian armed forces say they have shot down three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers on the southern front. "We have not had any Su-34s in our positive statistics for some time," says air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat. In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi also praised the air defense for shooting down the aircraft in the Kherson region. The Russian military has not yet commented on the incident, but Russian bloggers acknowledge the loss.

03:15 "Economist" Schnitzer pleads for Ukraine soli
Economist Monika Schnitzer is in favor of a solidarity surcharge to support Ukraine. "Special events require special measures. A Ukraine solidarity tax as a surcharge on income tax for military aid would be a possible response to this challenge," the economics professor told the Rheinische Post newspaper. "That's not popular," admits Schnitzer. "But after all, this war is also about our freedom." It is better to act now than when Russia's aggression suddenly requires completely different measures.

02:03 Reports of an explosion in Crimea
The city of Armiansk in the north of Crimea is said to have been rocked by an explosion during the night. This is reported by the "Kyiv Independent", among others. Local Telegram channels are talking about a detonation on the ground, which is said to have occurred at around 11 p.m. local time. The Russian occupation authorities have not yet commented.

23:54 Ukrainian secret service: fraud in weapons procurement uncovered
According to official information, a system for the fraudulent purchase of artillery shells has been uncovered in Ukraine. The Ukrainian secret service SBU and the Ministry of Defense announced that the network had been used to embezzle the equivalent of almost 40 million dollars. The system was uncovered last week and an audit confirmed the illegal activities. Searches were carried out within the ministry and in other premises. Ukraine ranks 116th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index.

22:19 Ukrainian parliament works on law on mobilization from abroad
The parliament of Ukraine is working on a draft law on the mobilization of men residing abroad. This was announced by Vadym Ivchenko, a representative of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence. According to him, it is a complex bill that "is being developed jointly by the deputies, the Ministry of Defense and the entire team of the General Staff". Ivchenko points out that the draft law is to be put to the vote in January. "Ukrainians who are abroad will have to undergo the same identification procedures as Ukrainians in Ukraine," said Ivchenko. "If you are on the list of people to be mobilized, you will of course receive a summons. This is a normal procedure. And then it is their decision whether to go back or stay there, and then it is a violation of Ukrainian law," the MP explained. Yesterday, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said that there were no plans to recall and call up men under pressure from abroad.

21:16 Russia buys 92 aircraft from leasing companies
Russia has bought another 92 aircraft from foreign companies that were previously leased. The airline S7 announced the acquisition of 45 of its former foreign aircraft, Aeroflot said it was taking 28 aircraft for itself and a further 19 were going to Ural Airlines. The purchase was made with Russia's state insurance company, NLK-Finance, as an intermediary. Russia had initially re-registered the aircraft after the start of the war in the face of Western sanctions without the owners' consent and later began negotiations over them.

20:32 Selenskyj: In the process of renewing relations with Poland
Ukraine and neighboring Poland want to deepen their cooperation, especially in the military sphere. This was reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening video address about his meeting with the new Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, whose first trip abroad was to Kiev. "We discussed very serious possibilities for further joint work - work that will strengthen our two nations," said Selenskyj. "This applies above all to joint arms production." "We are in the process of renewing our relations," says Selenskyj. He had previously spoken of Poland and Ukraine as "very strong neighbors with a common history".

19:50 Occupation: Injured in Ukrainian drone attack on Donetsk
According to the occupation authorities, twelve people were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. The people were injured when a projectile was dropped, the head of the occupation authorities in the Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, explained on Telegram. Among the injured were five rescue workers and municipal employees. According to Pushilin, Donetsk was also attacked by Ukrainian artillery, damaging a residential building and civilian infrastructure. The information cannot be independently verified.

19:02 Russian drones attack Odessa
The southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa has been attacked by several Russian drones. Local media reported several explosions, which were initially attributed to the use of air defense. Airspace surveillance had previously reported the approach of several waves of so-called kamikaze drones over the Black Sea and called on the residents of the city and surrounding area to seek shelter. Air alerts were also issued in other regions of Ukraine.

You can read about all previous developments here.