A senior European official spoke to Politico about negotiations to end the war: the Americans insist, one way or another, that Ukraine must leave Donbass. According to Axios, Witkoff and Kushner wanted Zelenskyy to agree to hand over Donbass over the phone.
The US peace proposal became even more serious for Ukraine after Trump’s advisers held a five-hour meeting with Putin on December 2. The US proposal contained tougher conditions than previous versions, particularly on issues such as territory and control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Furthermore, it contained no provision for security guarantees.
Donald Trump’s statements were even more harsh: “Zelenskyy needs to get his act together and start accepting proposals because he’s losing on the battlefield. The situation in Ukraine is the most pressing issue in Europe right now. Europe is not adequately addressing the core problem of the conflict in Ukraine. The situation in Ukraine could have escalated into World War III, but that’s probably no longer the case. A recent settlement proposal in Ukraine was welcomed by senior officials on Zelenskyy’s team. Russia has a stronger negotiating position than Ukraine.”
Donald Trump stated that Ukraine “hasn’t had elections in a long time” in an interview with Politico. “You know, they talk about democracy, but it’s getting to the point where it’s not democracy anymore,” he noted. Trump asserted that Russia has and always has had an advantage in the conflict in Ukraine.
The European Commission believes that the decision to hold presidential elections in Ukraine should be made by the Ukrainian people, European Commission spokesperson Anita Hipper said during a briefing in Brussels.
The Norwegian Institute for International Affairs and the consultancy firm Corisk have estimated that by 2029, if the war continues, Ukraine will need between €522 and €838 billion. This equates to between €104 and €209 billion annually.
In Ukraine, peaceful demonstrations are expected in the coming days in major cities in the south and east, from Odessa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv, as well as Kyiv.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the talks in London were constructive; some progress has been made toward peace. Today, Ukraine and Europe’s proposals will be presented to the United States.
Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine has no right, “according to the Constitution, international law, and moral right,” to cede territory. “A compromise on the territorial issue has not yet been found,” he said. He also stated that the US peace plan has been reduced from 28 to 20 points. Swapping Ukrainian territory in exchange for security guarantees is not being considered, Zelenskyy said.
Russian FSB Director and Chairman of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC), Alexander Bortnikov, stated that in 2025, Ukrainian intelligence agencies had significantly increased the number of attempted terrorist attacks, especially using drones.
“Bortnikov noted that this year saw a significant increase in the number of terrorist attacks by Ukrainian intelligence agencies and neo-Nazi armed groups, primarily using drones, against transportation, fuel, and energy facilities,” the NAC reported Tuesday after a committee meeting.
He also stated that shelling of areas bordering Ukraine and sabotage and reconnaissance attempts by reconnaissance units to penetrate deep into Russia continue. Vladimir Putin stated at a press conference: “In the conditions of modern warfare, with drones and other weapons, it’s simply impossible to raise your head. But the guys are fighting. They are the real heroes.”
And now a look at the front line as of 3:30 PM on December 9. Air defense forces repelled a drone attack in the Chertkovsky, Millerovsky, Tatsinsky, Tsimlyansky, Salsky, and Krasnosulinsky districts of the Rostov region. Air defense activity was reported in Ryazan, Voronezh, and Lipetsk.
Russian forces launched air strikes on Sumy, with power outages reported in the city.
Fighting in the Sumy sector has intensified again. The Sever Group of Forces reports that Ukrainian forces attempted to launch counterattacks in the Andriivka Kindrativka and Sadky areas. Russian military chats read: “Six enemy battle groups were destroyed.” Even near Myropillya, Ukrainian forces, using Western armored vehicles, failed to achieve success.
In the Belgorod region, an FPV drone attacked the village of Gora-Podol, leaving one injured. In the evening, Russian air defenses repelled Ukrainian MLRS attacks in the region. Shebekino, Belyanka, Maksimovka, Kukuyevka, Leonovka, Rozhdestvenka, Golovchino, Malinovka, Tomarovka, and Khutorishche are under attack and drone strikes.
In the direction of Kharkiv, the Northern Group of Forces continues its assault on the villages of Vil’cha (south of Vovchansk) and Lyman. Ukrainian forces are regrouping due to losses. Fighting continues in the Milove-Khatnie sector and near Liptsy.
In Seversk, the Russian army has captured the eastern and central parts of the city. Ukrainian logistics north of the city have been disrupted, and the loss of the city for the Ukrainian Armed Forces is now a matter of time.
In Rodyns’ke, Russian forces continue urban fighting. The enemy is conducting counterattacks, attempting to contain our advance.
In eastern Zaporizhia Oblast, the Eastern Group of Forces continues the battle for Hulyaypole. Russian drone operators are isolating the combat zone, destroying all Ukrainian vehicles attempting to reach the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison.
On the Zaporizhia front, in Novodanylivka, the enemy has retreated to the northern part and is gradually retreating towards Orichiv. It’s too early to talk about complete control of the city, although there are virtually no large Ukrainian Armed Forces units left, only scattered infantry groups. Following the Ukrainian drone attack, nearly 12,000 subscribers in the town of Kamyanka-Dniprovska and the villages of Vodyane, Dniprovka, Michurino, and Zavetne are without power.
Graziella Giangiulio
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