For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Tass, and the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM
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EU summit begins with future funding for Ukraine in doubt. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Steve Inskeep | NPR The two-day European Union summit begins with future aid for Ukraine in doubt. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Putin says there will be no peace in Ukraine until goals are achieved, while offering rare details, by Harriet Morris | AP MOSCOW — At a year-end news conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed today that there would be no peace in Ukraine until his goals are achieved and said those objectives remain unchanged. Putin dismissed the need for a second wave of mobilization of reservists to fight in Ukraine. He said some 617,000 Russian soldiers are currently there, including . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia’s Putin holds first call-in Q&A session since he launched invasion of Ukraine. Reported by Charles Maynes and Steve Inskeep | NPR Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a call-in question-and-answer session for the first time since he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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NEWER Russia says downed 9 Ukrainian drones near Moscow. From AFP. Russia said today that its air defense systems had downed nine Ukrainian drones headed towards the capital, hours ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s new conference. “On-duty air defense units . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian units repel six attacks by Ukrainian assault brigades in Donetsk area. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s battlegroup South thwarted six attacks by Ukrainian assault groups in the Donetsk area over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said today. “The enemy’s total losses in the direction reached . . . READ MORE . . .
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Zelensky addresses EU summit, warns against ‘indecision,’ by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky today addressed via video conference EU leaders, who gathered for a European Council summit. The Dec. 14-15 meeting should concern $54 billion in the bloc’s funding for Kyiv and Ukraine’s accession negotiations. The results . . . READ MORE . . .
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How F-16 fighter jets could reshape Ukraine’s aerial battlefield, by Gerry Doyle | Reuters As U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine arrive at training centres in the United States and Europe, Kyiv’s allies hope the modern aircraft can push Russian planes farther from the frontlines, target radar transmitters more effectively and hunt down more cruise missiles. Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia’s night drones pose a serious new threat to Ukraine’s troops, by Julia Struck | Kyiv Post Ukrainian soldiers at the front lines say the Russians have changed tactics. Moscow’s forces are now making use of FPV (first-person view) drones equipped with heat-detecting night-vision to strike in the darkness, a time when the Ukrainians had previously benefitted from . . . READ MORE . . .