+++ 14:00 Scholz warns of declining support for Ukraine +++

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warns of the consequences of declining support for the defense of Ukraine against Russia's attack. "Putin is still determined to bring Ukraine to its knees militarily," he said in a government statement in the Bundestag. The Russian president is counting on international support for Ukraine waning. The Chancellor warns: "The danger that this calculation could work out cannot be denied." Scholz points out how US President Joe Biden is struggling to get his country to approve new funds to support Ukraine. There is still no agreement in the EU on how Ukraine's budget can be stabilized in the coming years with a total of 50 billion euros. Scholz pointed out: "Hungary in particular has not yet agreed" (see entry 09:56 and 13:28). Ukraine's ability to defend itself against swarms of Russian drones and missiles has improved (see entry 12:24). The second Patriot air defense system provided by Germany will be deployed in Ukraine this year. In addition, armored vehicles, ammunition and winter protective clothing for the Ukrainian armed forces as well as power generators to bridge energy shortages will be provided. Scholz said: "All of this is urgently needed. Because Russia has now put its economy entirely at the service of this war. Russian weapons production is running at full speed" (see entry 12:31 p.m.).

+++ 13:44 Russian ambassador: Selenskyj without success in the USA +++Russiadescribes the talks of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj in the USA as meaningless. Selensky's trip was unsuccessful, says the Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov. "Everyone is fed up with the beggar from Kiev." Zelenskyi had not succeeded in convincing Washington that Ukraine was more important than the security of the USA. During Zelensky's visit, US President Joe Biden had dampened the prospects of further US aid being approved quickly. He admitted that he could make "no promises", but was hopeful that there would be an agreement in Congress. At the same time, he released 200 million US dollars in aid for Kiev - "30 times less than Zelenskyi had hoped for", as Russian media gloatingly commented. The new US sanctions against Russia and the military aid were "nothing more than an attempt to put a good face on a bad game", said Antonov. Russia would not let this stop it from continuing to assert its foreign policy interests.

+++ 13:28 Von der Leyen: "Support Ukraine for as long as necessary" +++EU Commission PresidentUrsula von der Leyen calls on the European Union to support Ukraine for as long as necessary. "While the war drags on, we must prove what it means to support Ukraine for as long as necessary," she said in the European Parliament ahead of the summit of EU heads of state and government on Thursday. Ukraine expects the summit to send a positive signal about its future in the EU and the help it needs for its budget. Hungary rejects the granting of further financial aid to Ukraine as well as the opening of EU accession talks with the country and has threatened to veto the summit (see entry 09:56).

+ 13:10 Life satisfaction of Ukrainians in Germany on the rise +++Aroundone million people have fled Ukraine for Germany since the Russian attack. Despite a high level of education, only one in five immigrants of working age has found a job so far. Four out of ten people are either single parents or children of single parents. This data is based on preliminary results of the migration statistics and preliminary results of the microcensus published by the Federal Statistical Office (see entry 08:51). The life satisfaction of refugees has increased significantly over the past year and a half, according to a study by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB). Shortly after their arrival in Germany, 20 percent said they were satisfied with their lives; now 27 percent say the same. On a scale of zero to ten, the average score was 6.2 - in Germany, this figure was 7.5 before the pandemic.

+++ 12:49 Russian hackers continue to paralyze Ukraine's largest mobile network +++InUkraine, the mobile network of the largest provider Kyivstar is still out of service more than 24 hours after an unprecedented hacker attack. The SBU intelligence service has announced that cyber experts from the agency are now helping the company to repair the damage. Services are expected to resume during the course of the day. The SBU announced that Russian hackers had taken responsibility for the act of sabotage. The secret service speaks disparagingly of a "pseudo-hacker group", but assigns it to the Russian military intelligence service GRU. Prior to this, an alleged group called "Solnzepjok" (Solar Ember) had claimed to have carried out the attack. "We destroyed 10,000 computers, more than 4,000 servers, all systems for cloud storage of data and backups," the group wrote on Telegram. In addition, screenshots were published that allegedly show database entries of the mobile operator. The attack was allegedly carried out with the help of Kyivstar employees. The allegations could not initially be verified. According to its own information, Kyivstar is the largest Ukrainian mobile phone provider with a good 24 million subscribers.

+++ 12:31The traffic light coalition assures Ukraine of further comprehensive aid +++ Followingtheir budget agreement, the leaders of the traffic light coalition assure Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, of further comprehensive aid. This support will be provided from the regular budget, "as we have planned and, above all, for as long as necessary", said Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a statement with Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner. "This includes eight billion euros for arms supplies, financial aid for the Ukrainian budget - directly or via the European Union - and probably over six billion euros to support Ukrainian refugees here in Germany," says the Chancellor. "If the situation worsens as a result of Russia's war against Ukraine, for example because the situation on the front deteriorates, because other supporters reduce their aid to Ukraine or because the threat to Germany and Europe continues to increase, we will have to respond." In order to be prepared for such a possible situation, it had been agreed to propose a so-called override resolution to the Bundestag, Scholz continued. He referred to Article 115 of the Basic Law, which allows this in emergency situations.

+++ 12:24 Ukraine underlines effectiveness of Western weapons +++Accordingto theUkrainian air force, ten Russian missiles fired by Russia were intercepted during the night. "The effectiveness of Western weapons in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers cannot be doubted," wrote Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Telegram. "But there are victims from falling rocket debris. Houses have been burned down. Kiev is being hit with ballistic missiles." Zelenskyi appealed for support for his country in Washington at a meeting with US President Joe Biden and in the US House of Representatives. Military aid is currently being blocked by the Republicans in the House of Representatives.

+++12:11The traffic light coalition does not want to suspend the debt brake for Ukraine aid +++++Thetraffic light coalition does not want to suspend the debt brake in the 2024 budget for Ukraine aid for the time being. According to the German Press Agency, however, it is still being examined whether flood aid for the Ahr valley should be exempted in a similar way to this year. The SPD and the Greens had called for another declaration of an emergency situation due to the war in Ukraine and for loans to be taken out to provide direct support to the country attacked by Russia. This is now not planned for the time being.

+++11:13 Norway supports Ukraine with 250 million euros +++++Norwayis supporting Ukraine with three billion crowns (253 million euros). At a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere announced that this was part of the aid package totaling 75 billion crowns over five years, which had previously been approved by parliament. The heads of state and government of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland will meet in Oslo later today. Zelensky is also taking part in the meeting of the Nordic countries (see entry 09:29)

+++10:44 Zelensky announces reinforcement of air defenses +++Russiafires missiles at Kiev again, only last night the air defenses intercepted ten missiles at the Ukrainian capital. In response, President Zelensky announced a further strengthening of the air defenses. "Every single system or projectile is vital for Ukraine, for our cities and their people. They save lives," Selensky writes on X. He had just spoken to US President Joe Biden about increasing the air defense. Commenting on the new attacks, he writes: "Russia has once again proven that it is a despicable country that fires missiles at night and tries to hit residential areas, kindergartens and energy supplies in the middle of winter."

+++ 09:56 EU accession talks with Ukraine: Orban sticks to his no +++Hungaryis sticking to its no to EU accession talks with Ukraine. Instead, the European Union should strive for a strategic partnership with the country, says Prime Minister Viktor Orban in an interview with the online portal Mandiner. He reiterates his call for the issue to be removed from the agenda of the EU summit starting on Thursday.

+++ 09:29 Support for Ukraine: Selenskyj to meet Nordic heads of government in Oslo +++Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj has made a surprise return visit to Scandinavia. After his visit to the US capital Washington, his plane lands in Oslo this morning, as live footage from Norwegian media shows (see entry 08:28). A meeting of Nordic heads of state and government is scheduled to take place in the Norwegian capital later today, which Selenskyj will now also attend. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and the prime ministers of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland are expected to attend the summit. The main focus should be on Nordic cooperation on defense and security issues. Bilateral meetings with Selenskyj are also planned in the course of the meeting, during which further support for Ukraine is likely to be discussed, among other things. According to the Norwegian royal family, an audience with King Harald V is also scheduled at the Oslo Royal Palace.

+++ 08:51 Almost half of the Ukrainians who have immigrated are academics +++TheUkrainians who have fled to Germany since the Russian attack are better educated than average. Germany has recorded a net immigration of around 1.0 million people from Ukraine since the outbreak of the war until the first half of 2023, according to the Federal Statistical Office. "The high proportion of academic qualifications among immigrants from Ukraine is remarkable," it says. 45% of 25 to 59-year-olds have an academic professional qualification from a university of applied sciences or university, while 28% have a non-academic professional qualification. By comparison, only 27 percent of this age group in the German population as a whole have an academic degree.

+++ 08:28 Selenskyj makes surprise visit to Oslo +++Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj has made a surprise landing in Oslo, where the Nordic heads of state and government will meet later.

+++++ 08:15 Selenskyj returns home without aid: "People in Ukraine had higher expectations" +++AlthoughUS President Biden tries to use warm words at the meeting with Ukrainian President Selenskyj, people in Ukraine are disappointed by the meeting, according to ntv reporter Carolin Unger. Meanwhile, the Russian armed forces are intensifying their shelling.

+++ 07:52 Selenskyj: Core of Wagner force destroyed +++Duringhis visit to US President Joe Biden in Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj declares that Ukraine has "achieved serious successes on the battlefield", including the destruction of the core of the notorious Russian Wagner group. According to Selensky, 20,000 mercenaries had fallen. The fighters of the Wagner Group were recruited from prisons to fight in Ukraine. They mainly fought in Bachmut and were described as the "cannon fodder of the war". Almost all of them are said to have died. The leader of the Wagner private army, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had instigated an uprising against the Russian military leadership in June and had fallen out of favor in Moscow. In August, Prigozhin died in a plane crash. The cause of the crash is still unknown.

+++ 07:17 Heavy rocket attack on Kiev: children's hospital damaged +++Accordingto Kiev's mayor Vitali Klitschko, the "night-time enemy rocket attack" on the Dniprovsky district damaged a residential building as well as a children's hospital. Several residents were evacuated. Falling rocket fragments also damaged the district's water supply network. According to a report, there were several detonations and alarm sirens shortly afterwards. Kiev's military administration announced that the number of rockets fired could not yet be determined by the air force. The authority spoke of falling debris as a result of the rocket launch "in three districts of the left bank of the city". "As on December 11, the enemy used ballistic weapons," it continued. Russia is "intensifying the missile terror against Kiev", the authority explains (see also entry 03:19).

+++ 06:37 Russia attacks Odessa with drones +++Thedefense forces of southern Ukraine report intensive combat operations by air defense units that lasted over two hours. According to the report, Russia attacked the Ukrainian port city of Odessa with drones. Civilian infrastructure is said to have been damaged. Two people were injured, according to the army's Telegram channel. Russia frequently attacks southern Ukraine, targeting port and grain infrastructure.

+++ 06:02 Suspected espionage for Moscow: BND employee on trial +++Thefederal prosecutor's office considers it treason: an employee of the German foreign intelligence service is alleged to have spied for Moscow during the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Almost a year after the arrest of the 53-year-old, the trial for one of the most spectacular espionage cases of recent years begins today in Berlin under high security precautions. A 32-year-old diamond dealer is also on trial as an alleged accomplice. The two Germans are alleged to have passed on secret information to the Russian secret service FSB in two cases in the fall of 2022. The latter is said to have paid both defendants for their services: BND employee Carsten L. with 450,000 euros and businessman Arthur E. with at least 400,000 euros. According to the investigators, Carsten L. allegedly printed out or photographed nine internal BND documents at his workstations in Berlin and Pullach near Munich in September and October 2022. Arthur E. then allegedly handed over the secret information he had spied on to the Russian secret service and met with FSB employees in Moscow on several occasions. The meetings were allegedly arranged by a Russian businessman whom E. knew.

+++ 05:21 45 injured in rocket attack on Kiev +++At least 45 people have been injured in the Russian rocket attack on Kiev in the Dniprovskyi district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announces via his official Telegram channel. Eighteen people were taken to hospital, including two children. Around 27 civilians were treated at the scene. According to the mayor, a high-rise building and several private homes were damaged in the attack. The emergency services rescued 15 residents, including four children. Several cars caught fire in the courtyard and the building of a children's hospital was damaged in the attack.

+++ 04:11 Selenskyj: ceding territory would be madness +++Ata press conference with President Joe Biden in Washington, President Volodymyr Selenskyj described the question of whether Ukraine would be prepared to cede territory for the sake of peace as "absolute madness". "Our people, families and children live there. And all of this is part of Ukrainian society," he says. "We are talking about living people, they are being harassed, they have been raped, they have been killed, and we know that."

+++ 03:19 Mayor of Kiev speaks of Russian attack +++TheUkrainian capital Kiev is rocked by several explosions. Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared on social media that at least seven people had been injured in the "hostile attack on Kiev", according to rescue workers. Five people have been taken to hospital.

+++ 02:34 Kiev rocked by anti-aircraft fire +++TheUkrainian capital Kiev has apparently been attacked again by Russian missiles. On Wednesday night, explosions from anti-aircraft missiles were heard in the city center, as reported by a correspondent of the German Press Agency. Only then was an air alarm triggered. There was initially no information about possible damage or casualties.

+++ 01:29 US Republicans: Further aid package will not come quickly +++According to the Republicans, furtherUS aid for Ukraine will not come quickly. It is "virtually impossible" for Congress to pass an additional funding package before Christmas - even if an agreement is reached in the coming days, says US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. A law to support Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region will also only be passed if US President Joe Biden of the Democrats agrees to talks with the Republicans on restricting the crossing of migrants at the border between the USA and Mexico. But even then, it would be practically impossible to work this out before Christmas and get it through the Senate and the House of Representatives, McConnell said.

+++ 00:41 Slovakian truck drivers block the border crossing to Ukraine again +++Slovaktruck drivers resume the blockade of the Vysne Nemecke border crossing to Ukraine after a break of a few days. "We are supporting our colleagues in Poland," the vice president of the Unas haulage association told AFP. He is referring to the Polish protest that has been going on for several weeks. "We plan to continue our protest until December 30". The truck drivers blame the lack of sales on relaxed EU regulations for Ukrainian companies. The Slovakian hauliers had already blocked the border crossing between December 1 and 4. Now they have once again announced that they will only allow four trucks per hour to cross the border. However, passenger traffic will not be restricted.

+++ 23:32 Children in Russian kindergarten receive certificates with Ukrainian flag - teacher loses job +++++Childrenin a kindergarten in the far eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk have received certificates with Ukrainian state symbols for participating in a sports competition. As the Russian news agency "Ria Novosti" reported, citing the city's education authority, a kindergarten teacher had downloaded the template of the certificate from the internet without paying attention to what exactly was written on it. The documents were confiscated. This minor faux pas has major consequences for the teacher. An investigation into the incident has been launched, according to the "Ria" report. In addition, she now has to look for a new job - just like the director of the facility. "The head of the kindergarten and the teacher were aware of their responsibility for the incident and wrote a letter of resignation," explained the mayor of Khabarovsk, Sergei Kravchuk, on Telegram.

+++ 22:32 Ukraine: Situation around Avdiivka "even hotter than yesterday and the day before yesterday" +++Thesituation around the city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, which has been embattled for weeks, has worsened once again, according to military sources. "It is very hot. In fact, today it is even hotter than yesterday and the day before yesterday," said the head of the local military administration, Vitaly Barabash, on Ukrainian television. According to him, the new wave of attacks by the Russians is due to the ground having become hard as a result of the recent frost, which allows the attackers to use armored vehicles. According to him, the defenders have already shot down dozens of vehicles. However, the pressure from the attackers remains high, also due to the use of the air force. The fact that Avdiivka is currently the center of Russian attack efforts is also evident from the evening situation report of the Ukrainian General Staff, which lists 37 attacks in this area alone. According to official information from Kiev, all of them were repelled.

+++ 21:40 Biden warns of "biggest Christmas present" for Putin +++US PresidentJoe Biden warns in urgent terms of a further blockade by the US parliament on the release of further US aid for Ukraine. Congress must approve the funding before it leaves for the Christmas break, said Biden before a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj at the White House. Otherwise he would be giving Russian President Vladimir Putin "the biggest Christmas present" that could be given to him. At the same time, Biden is trying to spread optimism. "I don't want you to give up hope," he says to Selensky. The decisions that are made now will determine the future for decades to come, especially in Europe, Biden warned. The US President also announced that he would provide Ukraine with military aid worth 200 million US dollars. However, these are already approved funds. Selenskyj said that Ukraine was gradually becoming less dependent on international aid with regard to his country's budget and was moving in the right direction.

+++ 21:16 Kiev's defense minister and commander-in-chief visit eastern front +++Kiev'sdefense minister Rustem Umjerow and the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valerij Saluschnyj, have officially visited the front in the east of the country together. They were briefed on the current situation, decorated soldiers and developed a joint action plan for further action, according to the Ministry of Defense. At the same time, the ministry published a picture of Umjerov and Salushnyj together with army commander Olexander Syrskyj, in which the three demonstrate their unity. Recently, there have been several reports of increasing quarrels in the Ukrainian leadership and alleged rivalries between President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Salushnyi.

+++ 20:42 US insider: Russia has lost 315,000 soldiers +++According to a US insider, 315,000 soldiers have died or been injured on the Russian side in the war in Ukraine. This is almost 90 percent of the personnel that Russia had at the start of the conflict in February 2022, says the insider, citing a US intelligence report. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not initially respond to a request for comment. In the past, Russia has repeatedly claimed that Western estimates of the number of Russian casualties are greatly exaggerated.

+++ 19:53 Head of the US House of Representatives: No Ukraine aid without a clear strategy +++Following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky, the Republican Chairman of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, is critical of the release of new US aid for the country attacked by Russia: the Biden administration is demanding that Parliament release billions for Ukraine, but is not presenting a clear strategy as to how the country intends to use the aid to win the war. Clarity is needed on what is being done with the money in Ukraine and how the spending should be monitored. The release of new US aid for Ukraine is currently being blocked by a dispute in the US parliament.

+++ 19:22 Evasion of sanctions: US puts hundreds on blacklist +++++TheUS is putting over 250 individuals and companies from several countries on its blacklist to better enforce sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine war. The aim is to hold Russia accountable for its crimes in Ukraine and "those who finance and support Russia's war machine", explains US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Those affected come from China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, among others. They are accused of circumventing Russia sanctions.

+++ 18:48 Visit to the front line: "The enemy is 200-250 meters away" +++Theforest around Siwersk in the Donetsk Oblast was a nature reserve before the war. Today, Ukrainians and Russians clash here, bullets and grenades fly through the thicket. Only a few hundred meters separate the positions of the two actors.

+++ 18:20 EU plan: Frozen Russian funds to help Ukraine +++TheEU could support Ukraine for the first time next year with proceeds from the safekeeping of frozen Russian central bank funds. The EU Commission has presented proposals for legal texts to this end. In a first step, they should ensure that the proceeds are kept separately. In a second step, it is then planned to transfer part of the funds to Ukraine. This would presumably amount to billions of euros per year, as according to the Commission, more than 200 billion from the Russian central bank have been frozen in the EU and the income from the safekeeping of the capital is constantly increasing. The EU Commission does not wish to provide detailed estimates for the time being.

+++ 17:53 US Senator Schumer speaks of "powerful meeting" with Zelensky +++TheDemocratic majority leader in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, describes a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington as a "powerful meeting". During the meeting with senators behind closed doors, Zelensky explained in great detail what kind of help he needed and how it would help Ukraine to win, says Schumer. He also made it clear that a Putin victory would also be "very, very dangerous for the United States". Schumer says the Ukrainian president also emphasized needing the help quickly - not just because of the need on the battlefield, but because otherwise many allies would wonder what was going on.

+++ 17:17 Kiev and Moscow exchange blows at the UN +++Russiaand Ukraine go head-to-head at a UN Security Council meeting. After the Russian UN representative mocks Ukraine's military efforts, the Ukrainian UN ambassador fires back verbally.

+++ 16:38 Finland reopens two border crossings with Russia +++ Finlandannounces the reopening of two border crossings with Russia. Head of government Petteri Orpo says in Helsinki that it will now be checked whether the situation at the border has improved. Finland closed its border completely at the end of November in response to an increasing number of migrants who had come to Finland from Russia in recent months. Helsinki accuses Moscow of trying to destabilize Finland by smuggling people. Orpo now says that the southeastern crossings in Vaalimaa and Niirala will reopen on Thursday. Referring to the arrival of migrants, he said: "If the phenomenon continues, we will close these crossings again."

+++ 16:06 Darya Navalnaya: "They're practically starving my father" +++Theconcern for the opposition figure Navalny, who is imprisoned in Russia, is growing. The Kremlin critic has not been connected to an ongoing trial for days. This is due to technical problems. Navalny's daughter Dasha is certain that there are other reasons behind the isolation.

+++ 15:39 Kremlin will follow Zelensky's meeting with Biden "very closely" +++TheKremlin says it will follow the meeting between Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky planned for this evening "very closely". This is what Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow, according to the news platform RBC. When asked about the Kremlin's concerns about the outcome of the meeting, Peskov emphasized that the tens of billions of dollars "pumped in" beforehand had not helped Ukraine to achieve success on the battlefield. Further "tens of billions of dollars" would neither change the situation on the battlefield nor the "progress of the special military operation", said Peskov.

+++ 15:05 Circles: Scholz tries to "still convince" Orban in Ukraine dispute +++German ChancellorOlaf Scholz wants to push for unanimous resolutions in favor of Ukraine at this week's EU summit, according to government circles. Regarding the threat of a veto by the Hungarian head of government Viktor Orban, Berlin says that the clear aim is "still to convince him". This applies in particular to the planned economic aid of 50 billion euros for Ukraine. Germany is also doing all it can to ensure that Orban agrees to the planned start of accession negotiations with Ukraine. However, it was "difficult to say" whether this would be possible. In both cases, Plan A is a consensus of the 27 member states. "We are clearly backing Plan A, and everything else will be determined by the negotiations," said government circles.

+++ 14:32 Merz against significantly higher debt due to Ukraine spending +++Union parliamentary group leaderFriedrich Merz does not see the continued support for Ukraine as a decisive justification for a significant increase in debt in the 2024 federal budget. "Germany is still one of the major donor countries, but mainly for humanitarian aid for the refugees who are with us," the CDU chairman told dpa. "These people need to enter the labor market as quickly as possible. This could contribute to a considerable reduction in expenditure for the federal government." It is also important that more help is given to the Ukrainian army, said Merz. He pointed out that the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles had been discussed with the government for months, which Chancellor Olaf Scholz was blocking. "This is not primarily a question of money. It is first and foremost a question of political will. And if we still have to talk about money, we are prepared to do so. But in my opinion, this can be done very largely from the current budget." There is no need to build up another special fund in the form of additional debt.

+++ 14:03 Border with Belarus: Ukraine digs anti-tank ditches +++Unitsof the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service are erecting barriers on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border using reinforced concrete, metal mesh, barbed wire and mine blast barriers. "We are digging anti-tank ditches and setting up anti-tank pyramids throughout the area," reads a statement. According to Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian State Border Guard, the situation on the border with Belarus remains "completely under control". Accordingly, intelligence units are monitoring the situation and assessing the threat for "a timely response."

You can read all previous developments here.