Closing summary
Answering media questions at an EU summit in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that European security guarantees would not be enough for Ukraine, which aspires to join transatlantic military alliance Nato. He stressed the importance of US support. Zelenskyy also said also it was important that discussions about a potential foreign peacekeeping contingent were happening now (he said yesterday that he had held a new discussion with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on the latter’s proposal to deploy troops in Ukraine as a means to help achieve a stable peace).
Vladimir Putin held his annual press conference today in Moscow. In it, the Russian president suggested a missile “duel” with the US that would show how Russia’s new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile could defeat any American missile defence system. He also said the Russian economy may grow by 4% this year but acknowledged that inflation was a worrying signal. Putin also said that relations between Russia and China had reached a level never seen before, adding that the two countries were coordinating their actions on the international stage and would continue to do so. Putin said he is ready for talks “any time” with US president-elect Donald Trump, who has touted his ability to strike a Ukraine peace deal within hours of coming to office.
At least 100 North Koreans deployed to support Russia’s war effort in Ukraine have been killed since entering combat in December, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters this morning. Another 1,000 of Pyongyang’s soldiers have been injured, he said.
Ukraine struck Russian territory with at least 13 missiles and 84 drones, triggering a fire at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in the southern Rostov region that burned for hours, Russian officials said on Thursday. Ukraine later claimed responsibility for the strike, which the country’s military said caused a fire at the refinery which was used to supply Russian armed forces.
Russian air defences shot down 84 drones over Russian regions, including 36 over Rostov region, according to the Russian defence ministry.
Russian forces have taken control of the villages of Novyi Komar and Zelenivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the Interfax news agency reported.
British troops may be sent to Ukraine to train up soldiers in its war against Russia, the UK’s defence secretary, John Healey, has suggested.
This blog is closing now. Thanks for following along. You can read all our Ukraine coverage here.
The press conference is over now.
