Live blog: + US senators: No agreement on Ukraine aid soon +

Top US senators don’t expect an early deal on billions in aid to Ukraine sought by President Biden. According to the Ukrainian military, the situation around the city of Kubiansk is “difficult”. All developments on the live blog.

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Top US senators do not expect an initial deal on billions in aid to Ukraine sought by President Joe Biden. “It’s clear to everyone that we still have a lot of work to do,” Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

His party colleague, Dick Durbin, expressed hope that a deal would be reached in January, immediately after the winter break. Biden has asked Ukraine for an additional $61 billion. Republicans attribute this to increased border controls with Mexico.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is confident that his country will continue to receive support from both the United States and the European Union in the future, despite the current freeze on Western aid. “I am sure America will not betray us,” he said.

Wagner, a former Russian mercenary, wants to present evidence of Russian crimes in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Dutch radio station NPO 1’s news program “EenVandaag” announced that Igor S. had arrived in the Netherlands. The broadcaster spoke via video link with the Russian citizen, who is said to have applied for asylum in his country of origin, but could not be reached for comment today, the Associated Press reported.

S. said that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started in Eastern Ukraine in 2014 and it was during the Russian invasion of the neighboring country in 2022. His information could not be independently verified.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian military has requested the mobilization of 450,000 to 500,000 additional soldiers. Zelensky told an annual press conference in Kiev that top military and government officials would discuss “this very delicate issue of mobilization.” Parliament will then deal with it. However, the final decision is yet to be taken.

An additional mobilization of this magnitude would require about 500 billion hryvnias (12.2 billion euros). For Zelensky, it is also important that any soldiers who have fought so far have the right to rest and leave home. Asked how long the war against Russia would last, Zelensky said no one knew.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given his country’s approval for Sweden’s NATO membership based on an arms deal with the United States. Erdogan said he could approve Sweden’s application to become a member of the Turkish parliament only if the US approved Turkey’s purchase of F-16 fighter jets. Canada and other NATO allies should also lift the arms embargo against Turkey.

“Positive developments in the US on the F-16 issue and compliance with Canada’s commitments will accelerate our parliament’s positive stance (on Sweden’s annexation),” Erdogan said last night, according to a report by state news agency Anadolu.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is ready to talk about the future of America, Europe and Ukraine. But Putin told a meeting of military chiefs in Moscow that Russia would defend its national interests. He said of the US, Europe and Ukraine: “Do they want to negotiate? Let them. But we will do it based on our national interests.” At the same time, Putin emphasized: “We will not give up what is ours.”

The Russian president has repeatedly expressed his willingness to hold peace talks. However, he confirmed last week that this would only be possible after Ukraine was “de-escalated”. Russian troops currently control 17.5 percent of Ukraine’s territory. The Ukrainian leadership still aims to recapture the entire national territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Western officials believe that Putin will be ready for serious talks only after the US elections in November next year.

Despite several Russian attacks on Ukrainian health facilities, medical care is adequate for civilians and military personnel in the capital, Kiev.

The Ukrainian military has admitted that the situation in the north-east of the country is “difficult” for them, given the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region. Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Chirsky said on the Telegram online service that Russian troops were “superior” in terms of weapons and personnel in the region around the city of Kubiansk. “The situation is complicated,” he admitted. But Ukrainian troops held their positions.

The Russian military has been advancing in the area for months to capture the regional center of Kubyansk. After February 24, 2022, Russian troops captured the city in the first days of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In September of the same year, the Ukrainian army managed to recapture the Kharkiv region in a surprise attack.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had repelled eight Ukrainian attacks around Kubyansk. At the same time, Moscow reported increasing pressure on its soldiers in the region around the eastern Ukrainian city of Baghmut.

Russia is keeping its nuclear forces on high alert because the West is waging a “hybrid war” against the country, according to President Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Putin says in Moscow that “special military action” in Ukraine will continue. All attempts by the West to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia have collapsed.

While the European Union has imposed a ban on the import of diamonds from Russia, the Russian government has announced that it will break it. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the import ban passed on Monday was “expected”. The diamond industry has already prepared for this: “I think there are ways to circumvent these sanctions. They exist and they will be implemented to protect our interests.”

The twelfth EU sanctions package, finally adopted yesterday, bans imports of natural and synthetic diamonds and jewelery from Russia from January. From September 2024, imports of diamonds from Russia and those cut in other countries will no longer be allowed. According to estimates, Russia earns between 3.7 and 4.6 billion euros annually from the diamond trade.

The UN Human Rights Commissioner has recorded that more than 10,000 civilians have died in Ukraine since Russia’s war of aggression began. More than 560 children were among the dead, said Volker Dürk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. Another 18,500 civilians were injured, many of them seriously. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, Turk insisted that the true number of civilian casualties was much higher.

Many died as a result of Russian shelling with rocket-like explosive weapons. Also, the UN High Commission recorded 142 cases of arbitrary executions of civilians in areas controlled by Russian troops. Torture, ill-treatment of prisoners, sexual violence and enforced disappearances have been documented in these areas. Turk accused Russian units of war crimes.

The UN Human Rights Office has documented the deaths of at least 100 civilians in Russian custody in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, including the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Dürk said at least 39 people showed signs of torture before their deaths. He was referring to his committee’s new report on the situation in Ukraine. “Torture and other cruel treatment are widespread in detention centers in Russian-occupied territories,” Turk said. Sexual violence is also involved in many cases.

Russia says it foiled drone attack on Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian drone near the capital. There were no injuries. Both Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports have restricted their flight operations.

According to British estimates, the Russian Air Force recently used a hypersonic Kinsale missile against Ukraine for the first time since August. The British Ministry of Defense said the target of the missile could be a military airfield. Rocket’s previous work has been mixed. “Several missiles may have missed their intended targets, and Ukraine was able to intercept attacks from this ‘invincible’ system,” the ministry said.

The European Union has decided on new economic sanctions against Russia. This includes a ban on the import of Russian diamonds. According to one general, Ukraine must also limit military operations due to lack of ammunition. Monday developments to read.