Closing summary
Volodymyr Zelenskyy today made the case for a diplomatic settlement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and raised the idea of foreign troops being deployed in his country until it could join the Nato military alliance. It came after Donald Trump said Kyiv is ready to make a deal with Moscow to stop the war and that Vladimir Putin should make efforts toward negotiating a truce.
The Ukrainian leader told reporters he was hoping to call outgoing US President Joe Biden in the coming days to discuss Nato membership.
Friedrich Merz, frontrunner in the race to become Germany’s next chancellor, met Zelenskyy on a diplomatic visit to Kyiv. He used the trip to condemn his country’s policy – of not providing Kyiv with long-range Taurus missiles - as akin to making Ukraine fight with one arm tied behind its back. Merz has promised to reverse the policy if elected in February.
Estonian prime minister, Kristen Michal, was also in Kyiv today to meet with Zelenskyy and other senior officials, including Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyhal.
Ukraine will soon get another €4.2bn ($4.4bn; £3.5bn) in funds after the EU’s member states approved the planned payment of the money, the EU council announced. The money is intended to help Ukraine’s struggling economy.
Zelenskyy reportedly said that almost 800,000 Russian troops are currently deployed in Ukraine. He said on Sunday that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and 370,000 injured, of whom about half had been able to return to service after treatment. He also claimed that 198,000 Russian soldiers had been killed and a further 550,000 injured.
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Updated
Almost 800,000 Russian troops in Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
Almost 800,000 Russian troops are currently deployed in Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Monday, citing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
As a reminder, the Ukrainian leader said on Sunday that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and 370,000 injured, of whom about half had been able to return to service after treatment. He also claimed that 198,000 Russian soldiers had been killed and a further 550,000 injured. We have not been able to independently verify any of these figures yet.
