+++ 11:39 German government launches multi-million euro winter aid package for Ukraine +++

The German 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 that 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 allowed 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.

+++ 11:39 German government launches multi-million euro winter aid package for Ukraine +++