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According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia fired 48 drones into the war-torn country during the night. According to Japan, Ukrainian President Zelensky will take part in the G7 video summit today. All developments in the live blog.
Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party rejects the start of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine. Prime Minister Viktor Orban should speak out against a positive decision at the EU summit next week, according to a resolution submitted to parliament in Budapest. The EU Commission’s proposal to start accession talks was not carefully prepared. This raises concerns among the 27 EU governments that Hungary could block a decision to start accession negotiations. Orban had already warned in November that he wanted to prevent a positive decision. The decision must be made unanimously by the 27 EU heads of state and government.
According to official Ukrainian information, Russia fired dozens of combat drones at Ukraine again during the night. Of the total of 48 unmanned missiles, 41 could have been repelled, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram. Nothing is yet known about possible victims or damage.
The Air Force had already reported incoming drones in the evening and warned of attacks, particularly in the southern Odessa region. It was later reported that air defense was also active in Khmelnytskyi, western Ukraine.
Russia, which has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine for more than 21 months, has repeatedly fired on the neighboring country with numerous combat drones in recent nights. These are also repelled with the help of Western air defense systems, including the Iris-T type supplied from Germany. With a view to the upcoming winter, Ukrainian representatives have also warned that Russia could once again target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, as it did last year.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body.
The US and Sweden have signed a defense cooperation agreement that aims to strengthen military ties and enable bilateral exercises. The pact paves the way for US forces to operate in Sweden, “including the legal status of US military personnel, access to operational areas (and) the provision of military materiel,” the US Department of Defense said. Accordingly, the agreement was signed on Tuesday by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Swedish colleague Pal Jonson. The two countries “agreed on the importance of continued, robust support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal and full-scale invasion,” it said.
In response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, traditionally non-aligned Sweden and its neighbor Finland applied for NATO membership in May last year. Finland joined the military alliance in April, Sweden is still waiting for the approval of member states Turkey and Hungary. The new defense agreement between Sweden and the US will apply “seamlessly before and after Sweden’s accession” to NATO, the US State Department said. It praised Sweden as a “strong, capable defense partner that represents NATO’s values.”
Ukraine has been fending off Russian attacks since February 2022. Obtaining foreign aid has now suffered a setback: President Volodymyr Zelenskyj’s video call to Washington to convince members of the US Senate to continue aid was canceled at short notice on Tuesday. Something came up at the last minute, said Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. ARD correspondent Vassili Golod classifies.
The vice chairman of the Defense Committee, Henning Otte, has called on the federal government to expand military aid to Ukraine. “Despite many losses, the course of the front is unlikely to change fundamentally in the winter months. Long-term support for Ukraine remains all the more important,” said the CDU politician to the dpa news agency. At the same time, he called for the rejection of the delivery of “Taurus” cruise missiles to the country attacked by Russia to be abandoned.
“With the delivery of ‘Taurus’, Ukraine could combat the likely increase in Russian missile attacks at the missile base.” He accused the traffic light coalition of having no concept of supporting Ukraine. An annual increase in the defense budget of at least ten billion euros is urgently needed.
Ukraine reports another major Russian air strike. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia attacked with 48 drones during the night, and 41 of these drones were intercepted and destroyed by air defense. It was not said whether the remaining drones hit their target or whether there were any casualties or damage in the attack. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, all Russian attack drones were Iranian “Shahed” kamikaze drones.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will today take part in a video summit of G7 heads of state and government led by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Zelenskyj will be included in the first part of the meeting, Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told journalists. The summit will discuss “important issues for the international community, such as the situation in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East,” he added. According to government spokesman Matsuno, representatives from the seven major industrialized countries will also talk about the topic of artificial intelligence. The G7 includes the USA, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and Canada.
In the words of US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the US could be “responsible for Ukraine’s defeat” if the US Congress does not approve the next round of funding for the war-torn country. “I have spoken to MPs, my colleagues too. I think they understand that this is a catastrophic situation and that we can be held responsible for Ukraine’s defeat if we are unable to provide the necessary resources ,” Yellen told reporters during a trip to Mexico City.
The funding – particularly general budget support for the Ukrainian government – is “absolutely essential” and a prerequisite for continued support for Ukraine from the International Monetary Fund.
Contrary to plan, Ukrainian President Zelensky will not speak to US senators via video. According to Ukrainian sources, Russian armed forces have increased their attacks on the destroyed city of Avdiivka. All developments in the live blog.