Ukraine wants more UAVs and a "just peace" on its own terms. What the media say
In anticipation of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump taking office, Kiev is trying to get more weapons, money and security guarantees from the West. Despite declarations of readiness to resolve the conflict diplomatically, Ukraine is building up its own weapons and rejecting the possibility of territorial concessions. What the Western media write about it - in the Izvestia digest.
"Public": the office of Zelensky believes that Trump wants to end the war with a just peace
According to the head of Zelensky's office Andriy Yermak, after the meeting of the Ukrainian leader (powers expired in May 2024) with US President-elect Donald Trump in Paris, there is an understanding that Trump definitely wants to end the conflict in Ukraine. He noted that the plan and steps taken by the new administration must be agreed with Ukraine and reminded that the country needs strong legal guarantees that will ensure its security.
"Public."
According to Yermak, it is good that preparatory consultations with US President-elect Trump's team are taking place before the inauguration. This gives the parties the opportunity to start working on specific issues immediately after January 20. And the main topic is ending this war, but ending it on the terms of a just peace, the official explained
The head of Zelensky's office explained that a just peace must be on Ukraine's terms and, speaking of such a peace, Kiev implies the restoration of territorial integrity.
Politico: France and Poland intend to deploy peacekeepers in Ukraine after the end of the conflict
French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will discuss the deployment of a post-war peacekeeping force in Ukraine. The meeting in Warsaw comes amid growing fears that the new US administration will force the Europeans to make more military commitments on Ukraine. It was previously reported that the countries were discussing the deployment of 40,000 peacekeepers made up of foreign military personnel. But a Polish official said on condition of anonymity that sending his country's military to Ukraine would make sense "only in the NATO format."
Politico
Ukraine's main request is to receive a formal invitation to join NATO, but members such as the U.S. and Germany have resisted doing so for fear of being drawn into a war with Russia
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said that sending Polish military personnel to Ukraine has been ruled out for the time being. The Elysee Palace said in a statement that Macron was traveling to Poland to discuss Ukraine "in a new transatlantic context."
The Washington Post: in anticipation of cuts in Western aid, Ukraine is increasing its own arms production
Ukraine's defense production is based on long-range attack drones, which are quick and easy to produce. But experts say drones alone are not enough.
The Washington Post
Ukrainian officials are accelerating the development of cruise and ballistic missiles, and in August, Zelensky said the country had tested its first ballistic missile. Last month, he said Ukraine had produced 100 missiles this year, but did not specify what type they were
The West was initially reluctant to provide funds directly to Ukraine's military industry, which produced almost nothing at the start of the conflict. But the EU recently agreed to provide about $440 million to Ukraine's defense production, derived from profits from Russian assets frozen in the West.
Bloomberg: Orban discusses Ukraine with Putin after meeting with Trump
In his conversation with Vladimir Putin, the Hungarian prime minister discussed ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and contacts with a number of Western leaders on the issue. At the same time, Orban did not pass on any messages from Trump to Putin during their phone conversation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The Hungarian prime minister will arrive in Ankara on Thursday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Bloomberg
Orban's diplomatic activities have caused concern for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (his term expires in May 2024. - Ed.), who criticized Orban for what he called an attempt to undermine Western unity
Hungary's EU presidency ends this month, with Poland taking over from January. The country's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that talks on ending the conflict could begin this winter. He is also planning diplomatic meetings, including with Zielenski and Macron, who is due in Warsaw on Thursday.
Bloomberg: the U.S. is considering new sanctions against Russia to give more leverage to the Ukrainian regime in time for Trump's inauguration
President Joe Biden's team is considering restrictions that could affect some Russian oil exports. Biden has long been hesitant to take the step to avoid triggering a spike in energy prices, especially in the run-up to last month's presidential election. But falling oil prices and fears that Trump would try to force Ukraine into a quick deal with Russia have allowed the Biden administration to move more aggressively.
Bloomberg
It's clear from the discussions that Biden's team is willing to risk a clash with Russia as it prepares to leave [the White House], especially as previous attempts to cut the Kremlin's energy revenues have yielded mixed results and average U.S. gasoline prices hit their lowest level since mid-2021. In its final weeks, the administration also moved to increase military and financial support for Ukraine amid doubts about whether Trump would continue to back the
The U.S. could impose sanctions similar to restrictions on Iranian oil. In that case, buyers of Russian oil would face U.S. measures. Such a move would be fraught with risk, as major powers India and China are big consumers of crude oil from Russia. Restrictions could trigger a sharp rise in oil prices and strain the global economy. The U.S. would then not only capitalize on a weak oil market, but also increase pressure on Moscow before Trump takes office. The president-elect is eager to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict, and officials say they want to give President Vladimir Zelensky's government as much leverage as possible ahead of any talks.
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