Trump said the United States “dropped some things” from the peace plan for the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “We’ve dropped some things [from the peace plan]. There are four or five different sides,” the US president said. He noted that developing a peace agreement is not easy, as one must “carve the land in a particular way.” Trump compared this process to a “complex real estate deal.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: “Only the Alliance is capable of protecting Europeans and preventing them from facing a fate similar to that of the Ukrainians. Russia is approaching the peak of its power, and Alliance countries must increase defense spending or prepare for a full-scale war with Moscow.” “Europe must prepare for a full-scale war, arguing that Russia has brought war back to the continent.”
Germany will host a major meeting early next week to discuss a possible ceasefire in Ukraine and has invited the United States. The meeting will see the participation of key European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky to coordinate their positions on rapid peace efforts. Merz says US participation will depend on progress in this weekend’s negotiations between the E3, Ukraine, and the United States on peace documents.
British banks oppose London and Brussels’ plans to use frozen Russian assets to aid Kiev and question the legality of this decision. Meanwhile, the Bank of Russia has filed a lawsuit against Euroclear with the Moscow Arbitration Court, the Central Bank said. “The actions of Euroclear’s custodian have caused damage to the Bank of Russia due to its inability to manage funds and securities belonging to the Bank of Russia,” the statement read. Belgium has said it is ready to respond.
EU members intend to approve a measure to indefinitely freeze the Russian Central Bank’s assets in Europe, instead of renewing the freeze every six months. EU leaders will discuss the reparation loan at a summit on December 18 and are expected to reach a decision. This would support the EU’s plan to use frozen Russian assets as collateral for a loan to Ukraine for 2026-27. The European Commission proposes invoking Article 122, which allows for qualified majority decisions in economic emergencies, eliminating the risk of a single country veto.
The Council of the EU has approved the sixth tranche of €2.3 billion under the “Ukraine Facility” plan, according to Svyrydenko. According to the Prime Minister, Ukraine has met eight of the plan’s 10 indicators and has implemented a number of systemic reforms. The European Commission is preparing a second EU military investment program worth €150 billion. This decision was made amid the broad participation of EU countries in the first SAFE program, Reuters reports.
No one is interested in a third Russian invasion, Zelenskyy said after the Coalition of the Willing meeting on security guarantees. “We are working to ensure that security guarantees include important components of European deterrence and are reliable, and it is important that the United States is with us and supports us,” he said.
Kiev will be without electricity this winter. The situation in the city is dire, says Rada MP Kucherenko. According to the MP, the power grid problems arose due to attacks on key substations, particularly the Kyivska substation.
According to Ukrainian media, Servant of the People will hold a party congress on December 17 to elect a new leader. The current leader, Olena Shulyak, has served two terms in office; her term ends on December 14. Zelenskyy has announced that he is planning a referendum on territorial issues, according to Ukrainian media.
The activities of 169 Russian citizens involved in illegal arms trafficking have been stopped, the FSB reported. The suspects, from 53 regions, restored civilian weapons to combat-grade condition in clandestine workshops and then sold them. Following searches, 378 firearms were seized. The activities of 44 clandestine workshops have been closed.
“Moscow has not yet seen the revised versions of the US peace documents from Europe and Ukraine, and there is a feeling that we might not like them very much,” said the presidential Russian advisor Yuri Ushakov.
Nine representatives of the International Criminal Court, including ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, have been sentenced in absentia to up to 15 years in prison, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office announced. On December 11, President Vladimir Putin met with military leaders to discuss the situation in the “special military operations zone.” “The strategic initiative in the “special military operations zone” is entirely in the hands of the Russian Armed Forces.”
The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, reports to Putin on the liberation of Kivsharivka, Kurylivka, and Seversk. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov: “Russian forces have liberated the villages of Kivsharivka and Kurylivka. Russian forces have also managed to liberate the city of Seversk. The implementation of the liberation missions in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions is proceeding according to plan.”
Ukrainians deny the fall of Seversk.
The Russian Foreign Ministry: “Zelensky is trying to stay in power, but there is no chance of legally winning the elections.” “Any foreign military unit in Ukraine will be considered a legitimate target by Moscow.” The Russian Ministry of Defense has denied reports of a cyber attack on the Military Enterprise Registry.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on December 12. The capture of Seversk, in the DPR, on December 11 was a significant event for the Russian armed forces. The Russian success comes after securing logistics corridors and encircling the city.
For the second consecutive night, Ukrainian forces launched a drone attack in Russian rear areas. Seven people were injured in a drone attack on an apartment building in Tver. The drones were shot down as they approached Moscow. Air traffic was disrupted in Sochi, Kaluga, and Volgograd. Reports of attacks are coming in in the Yaroslavl region: Ukrainian sources are publishing footage of an oil refinery on fire.
Russian forces have struck energy infrastructure in the Odessa region. Explosions have also been reported in Pavlohrad.
In the Sumy sector, the Russian Northern Group of Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces are fighting in the Andriivka-Oleksiivka area. With the support of heavy weapons, the Russians, according to social media, are gradually breaking through the Ukrainian defenses, while the Ukrainians are attempting counterattacks.
In the Cherkiv sector, south of Vovchansk, following offensive operations and combat, the attack aircraft of the 69th Motorized Rifle Division of the 6th Ukrainian Guards were defeated. Ukrainian Armed Forces have broken the resistance of units of the 57th Motorized Rifle Brigade. “The village of Lyman in Kharkiv Oblast has been captured,” the Russian Northern Group of Forces reports. Fighting continues in Vil’cha.
The situation near Kupyansk is described as complex, with the Ukrainians constantly organizing counterattacks. Russian forces are attacking Kupyansk-Vuzlovyi.
Russians claim that the Russian Central Group of Forces has become more active from Pokrovsk in the direction of Dnipropetrovsk: fighting is reported near Novopavlivka.
In eastern Zaporizhia Oblast, units of the Eastern Group of Forces are moving toward the center of Hulyaypole. West of Hulyaypole, Russian forces are hitting the village of Zaliznychne with FAB rockets.
On the Zaporizhia front, no significant changes have occurred in the Orichiv and Prymorske directions.
Numerous Ukrainian attacks are reported in the Kherson region.
Graziella Giangiulio
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