The Kyiv Independent reported that on December 19, Ukraine attacked the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in the Rostov region of southern Russia with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Governor of the Rostov region Yuri Slyusar confirmed the above information via the Telegram messaging application, and said that Ukraine used more than 30 UAVs and 3 missiles. Mr. Slyusar added that rescue forces were at the scene to try to extinguish the large fire. The Ukrainian army has not commented on the above information.
Points of conflict: Ukraine faces difficulties on all fronts; Türkiye disputes Mr. Trump
In other developments, Russia accused Ukraine of repeatedly dropping white phosphorus bullets from UAVs in September. “Russian authorities together with the Ministry of Defense have obtained irrefutable evidence that the Ukrainian armed forces have many used white phosphorus bullets dropped from UAVs in September,” Reuters quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as declaring on December 18. The Ukrainian side affirmed that Ms. Zakharova’s statement was false, and at the same time accused Russia of using banned chemicals on the battlefield.
Ukraine uses searchlights to detect UAVs in the sky of Kyiv on December 19, 2024
In an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien of France on December 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky affirmed that the country does not want to make concessions whether in terms of territory or ambitions to join NATO and the EU in “barter” for peace with Russia. Mr. Zelensky emphasized that Kyiv will only be willing to negotiate peace with Moscow when it has a “strong position” and to achieve that, Ukraine needs to become part of the EU and NATO. Commenting on US President-elect Donald Trump’s statement on trying to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Mr. Zelensky said: “Mr. Trump sincerely wants to act quickly, but he has not yet entered the White House and has not “He also knows about my firm desire not to rush to avoid causing disadvantage to Ukraine.”
According to US media, Mr. Keith Kellogg, who was nominated by Mr. Trump to be the US special peace envoy to Ukraine, will visit Ukraine in January 2025. In addition, to strengthen its position at the negotiating table with Russia, Ukraine is trying to mobilize partners to support both on the battlefield and in diplomacy. Reuters reported that on December 19, Britain announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth 225 million pounds, and pledged to provide more military training to Kyiv. Previously, Germany on December 18 proposed to double arms exports to Ukraine. President Zelensky and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron had a private meeting on December 18 to discuss the possibility of sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, according to The Kyiv Independent.
The Russian minister warned of the possibility of fighting with NATO in the next 10 years
Mr. Putin received more than 2 million questions
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday had his annual press conference and question-and-answer session to answer questions from people and the press on many domestic and foreign issues. According to TASS, before the press conference, there were more than 2 million questions from people sent to President Putin, after 11 days of being open to receive questions in many forms. At the press conference, Mr. Putin said that the Russian economy is stable and growing, forecasting GDP growth this year to reach 4%. He also mentioned the war situation with Ukraine and many other issues, according to RT. Bao Hoang
North Korea praises its effective alliance with Russia
On December 19, KCNA reported that North Korea’s military alliance with Russia is proving “very effective” in deterring the US and its allies. North Korea condemned the recent statement by the US and its allies against the growing relationship between Russia and North Korea. In addition, Pyongyang also accused Washington and its allies of prolonging the war in Ukraine. The US side has not commented on this information.
