Vladimir Putin has said Slovakia would be happy to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and Moscow would not be opposed to the idea “if it comes to that”. Listen to the latest episode of The World podcast below as you scroll.
Thursday 26 December 2024 22:47, UK
Ukraine’s army says there were 164 combat clashes reported with Russian forces on Boxing Day.
In an update on Facebook, it said Moscow also carried out 35 air strikes and carried out “more than 4,600 shelling of positions of our troops and settlements” using various weapons.
It said there were intense attacks in the direction of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, a key logistics hub in the Donbas region, where fighting is regularly described as exceptionally tough.
“Our soldiers are making efforts to prevent the advancement of the opponent into the depths of Ukrainian territory,” it said, adding that Russian troops had suffered “significant losses in this direction”.
In case you missed it, Joe Biden has asked his defence team to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
After condemning Russia’s Christmas Day attack, Biden said he has already responded by reaffirming Washington’s commitment to Ukraine’s defence.
“The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardise the safety of its grid,” he said.
For context: Washington has committed $175bn in aid for Ukraine over the course of the war, but the future of US funding is in some doubt, with president-elect Donald Trump questioning their level of involvement and suggesting Europe should bear more of the burden.
But Keith Kellogg, who is Mr Trump’s pick for special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, criticised the attack on what should be a “time of peace”, adding “the US is more resolved than ever to bring peace to the region”.
Here are some of the latest pictures from the front line, which show Ukrainians firing a small multiple rocket launch system.
The fire came from the artillery unit of a police force’s special rifle battalion in the Zaporizhzhia region, in response to Russia’s widespread Christmas Day attack.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeated calls for increased military aid in his nightly address.
The Ukrainian president says it is “crucial” that the US is stepping up its deliveries of aid in the final weeks of the Biden administration.
“I thank our partners for their assistance, but the pace of deliveries must accelerate to disrupt the tempo of Russian assaults,” he adds.
Canada’s foreign ministry has called on Russia to allow for an “open and transparent” investigation into how Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243 crashed yesterday.
Four sources told Reuters news agency today that Russian air defences had shot the plane, which eventually crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people.
The plane had diverted from an area of southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used air defence systems against Ukrainian drone strikes.
In a statement, Canada’s foreign ministry said it was “deeply concerned” by reports Russian air defences may have been involved.
“These events could have been avoided,” it said. “Canada offers its sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims, and those affected by the tragedy.
“We call on Russia to allow for an open and transparent investigation into the incident and to accept its findings.”
Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko discussed “regional security and bilateral relations” during a one-on-one meeting on Christmas Day, a spokeswoman for the Belarusian leader says.
The pair spoke in private before today’s Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting near St Petersburg (see 16.00 post).
“You and I understand that presidents can never sidestep security issues, said spokeswoman Natalia Eismont.
“The number one item on the agenda is security issues in general, regional security, the situation that is unfolding now, as it is changing literally by the hour, if not by the minute. So, of course, these are number one issues.”
Iran’s president is expected to visit Moscow next month to sign a cooperation agreement with Vladimir Putin.
According to Russian state media, citing Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Masoud Pezeshkian will visit on 17 January.
For context: Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran and other countries hostile to the US, such as North Korea, since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In September, the US accused Tehran of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, which Iran denies.
In case you missed it, Pope Francis used his traditional Christmas address yesterday to call for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
Speaking from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, he urged for “gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace”.
“May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine,” he added.
The Pope’s message came just a few hours after Russia launched missile strikes across Ukraine, which Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned as “inhumane”.
Israeli airline El Al is suspending its operations on the Tel Aviv-Moscow route for the coming week, citing “developments in Russia’s airspace”.
“Over the next week, a renewed assessment of the situation will be carried out to decide whether the route will be resumed,” it said in a statement.
Earlier today, four sources told Reuters news agency that the Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan yesterday was downed by a Russian air defence system.
Vladimir Putin says there is no time left this year to sign a new Ukrainian gas transit deal, blaming Ukraine for refusing to extend the agreement.
The current five-year deal that supplies Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria with Russian gas via Ukraine expires at the end of the year.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv will not renew the agreement.
“There is no contract, and it is impossible to conclude it in three to four days,” Putin said in a televised briefing, adding that Kyiv was punishing Europe by the move.
The Russian leader also said that Moscow is ready to supply gas via Ukraine to any customer, but a lawsuit was making that impossible.
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