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Most important developments on December 3:
Ukraine will refuse any form safety guarantees to replace NATO membership, according to a Dec. 3 State Department statement.
“Having the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind us, we will not settle for alternatives, surrogates or substitutes for Ukraine’s full membership in NATO,” the statement said just two days before the thirtieth anniversary of the signing of the memorandum.
NATO foreign ministers will meet in Brussels between December 3 and 4, with Ukraine also participating. Kiev urged allies to extend a membership invitation at the meeting, but that did not happen Reuters reported that there is no consensus on this.
Ukraine gave up its Soviet era nuclear arsenal in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in exchange for the recognition of its borders and security guarantees by the US and Russia, among others.
The ministry’s statement called on “the US and Great Britain, which have signed the Budapest Memorandum, … France and China, which have joined it” and “all states participating in the Convention on the -proliferation of nuclear weapons” to support Ukraine’s invitation to NATO to counter Russian blackmail attempts.
Ukraine prevents Russia from establishing bridgehead west of Oskil River, military says
Ukrainian troops managed to fend off Russian forces are trying to gain a foothold on the western side of the Oskil River, north of the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on December 3.
The military published images of the fight that reportedly took place near the village of Novomlynsk, about 20 kilometers north of Kupiansk.
Russian troops have performed them efforts close by Kupiansk in early September and approached the industrial suburbs to the northeast. Recently, Ukrainian forces repelled several Russians attempts upon entering the city.
Thanks to numerical advantage, Russian forces managed to cross the Oskil River in an attempt to establish a bridgehead on the other side, the General Staff said.
Ukrainian forces have heavily fortified the west side of the Oskil River to prevent Russian forces from approaching Kupiansk from the north. Reports about Moscow’s troops successfully overcoming the river near Novomlynsk surfaced at the end of November.
“At the same time (while Russia was establishing the bridgehead) Ukrainian defenders, supported by artillery and drone units, expelled Russian troops from the bridgehead,” the General Staff said without specifying the date of the battle.
“Namely, soldiers of the 8th Separate Assault Battalion of the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade ‘Edelweiss’ cleared the area near Novomlynsk of Russian troops.”
The army said the western bank of the Oskil River is under Ukrainian control, showing footage of Ukrainian soldiers raising a state flag in Novomlynsk.
France, UK discuss deploying troops to Ukraine for ceasefire monitoring, sources tell RFE/RL
Paris and London are exploring options to support Ukraine in possible peace talks with Russia, including deploying French and British troops to monitor a ceasefire along the line of contact, a senior NATO official told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL ).
The official, who requested anonymity Since they were not authorized to speak publicly, they noted that these discussions take place in individual capitals, and not within the formal NATO structure.
The aim is to prepare for different scenarios and ensure that European countries are ready to help Kiev if the new US administration calls for greater European involvement. According to the official, the proposals are also intended to secure the participation of European allies in the peace talks of the newly elected US president Donald Trump could mediate.
French and British discussions about leading a military coalition in Ukraine have gained momentum Le Monde reporting renewed talks about deploying troops. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told BBC News that although France currently has no intention of sending troops into battle, the country is “not putting aside any option.”
“(France) will support Ukraine as intensely and for as long as necessary. Why? Because it is our security that is at stake. Every time the Russian army advances one square kilometer, the threat moves one square kilometer closer to Europe” , says Barrot. said.
Ukraine asks NATO for 20 air defense systems to prevent blackouts
Ukraine is calling on its NATO partners to provide at least 20 air defense systems to fend off Russian air attacks, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said ahead of an allied meeting in Brussels on December 3.
Offering HAWK, NASAMS and IRIS-T batteries will help prevent blackouts, said Sybiha While Ukraine braces for new attacks in the country third winter of large-scale war.
The chief of Ukrainian diplomacy is in Brussels to attend NATO meeting of foreign ministers and participate in the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council. Kiev is seeking not only additional military aid, but also the coveted invitation to join the alliance.
Sybiha spoke to journalists prior to the meeting and conveyed the Budapest Memoranduma document signed in 1994 by Ukraine, Russia and the Western powers. Under the agreement, Kiev gave up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees.
“This document has failed to secure Ukrainian security and transatlantic security. So we must prevent such mistakes from being repeated,” Sybiha said.
“Therefore, of course, we will discuss with my partners the concept of ‘peace through strength’, and we will have a clear idea of what steps we need from our friends to do our homework.”
During an interview with Kyodo News published on December 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky said disputed reports Western media reports that as many as 80,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the all-out war with Russia.
“Recently, some in, I believe, the American press reported that 80,000 Ukrainians had been killed. I want to tell you that, no, (the number of deaths is) less, much less,” Zelensky said. saidwhile refusing to give a detailed number of casualties.
“However, we must be honest: we do not know how many Ukrainians were killed in the occupied territories of Ukraine,” Zelensky added.
Zelensky’s comments likely refer to the Wall Street Journal’s claims published by September 17, 80,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the war, with another 400,000 injured.
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