For today, links to four reports from Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Europeans grapple over security force for post-war Ukraine. From Reuters. European nations are discussing sending troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire or peace deal, as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has made clear he will not put American boots on the ground to guarantee security, officials and diplomats say. READ MORE . . .

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What we can learn from Ukraine’s assassination of a senior Russian general in Moscow. Michel Martin of NPR talks with retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who served on the National Security Council, about the bomb attack Tuesday in Moscow. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for Dec. 14 report from AP.

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FROM DEC. 17  A couple hundred North Korean troops killed, wounded in battles with Ukrainian forces, by Lolita C. Baldor | AP  WASHINGTON — A couple hundred North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces against Ukraine have been killed or wounded during battle in the Kursk border region, a senior military official said Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine is getting its own capability to strike deep into Russian territory, by Sergii Kostezh | Kyiv Post  For several days Ukrainian media have been discussing the newly developed Peklo (Hell) jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle. If Peklo works as intended, it will simultaneously solve . . . READ MORE . . .