On December 9, President Volodymyr Zelensky continued his European tour, visiting London, Brussels, and Rome. In Italy, he met with the Pope and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is leaning toward cooperation with the US. The European Commission President stressed that Ukraine should be the first line of defense for the EU.
The US keeps pressing Kyiv for possible territorial concessions, but Zelensky stated that Ukraine will not give up its land due to constitutional and international law. Advisors in Europe and the US are discussing a peace plan, but no compromises have been found regarding territory. Zelensky also mentioned that China does not seem interested in ending the war, though there is no evidence of China supplying weapons to Russia.
In Brussels, Zelensky held diplomatic meetings with EU leaders. The European Commission head and NATO Secretary General reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and emphasized the need for long-term security guarantees. An agreement on allocating up to £100 billion in frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine may be reached soon, although Japan has opposed asset confiscation.
On the night of December 9, Russia launched 110 drones at Ukraine, 84 of which were shot down. Several regions suffered attacks, resulting in both fatalities and injuries, including to children. Ukrainian drones also targeted facilities in Russia. Putin signed a decree on military drills for reservists.
A corruption scandal continues: journalists discovered that the son of ex-minister Halushchenko studied at an expensive Swiss private school, with costs far exceeding the family’s reported income. Expenses were undeclared and are being investigated by anti-corruption bodies.
Stay tuned for updates.
